YANTRAS

INTRODUCTION TO YANTRA
by Horia Cristescu andDan Bozaru
What is a YANTRA ?
YANTRA literally means "support" and "instrument". A YANTRA is a geometric design
acting as a highly efficient tool for contemplation, concentration and meditation.
YANTRAS carry spiritual significance : there is a specific meaning that pertains to
higher levels of consciousness.
The YANTRA provides a focal point that is a
window into the absolute. When the mind is
concentrated on a single, simple object (in this
case a YANTRA), the mental chatter ceases.
Eventually, the object is dropped when the mind
can remain empty and silent without help. In the
most advanced phases, it is possible to attain
union with God by the geometric visualization of
a YANTRA.
The YANTRA is like a microcosmic picture of the
MACROCOSM. It is a focusing point and an outer
and inner doorway. The YANTRAS are often
focused on a specific deity and so. by tuning into
the different YANTRAS you can tap into certain
deities or creative force centers in the universe.
YANTRAS are usually designed so that the eye is carried into the center, and very
often they are symmetrical. They can be drawn on paper, wood, metal, or earth, or
they can be three-dimensional.
The most celebrated YANTRA in India is the Sri YANTRA, the YANTRA of Tripura
Sundari. It is a symbol of the entire cosmos that serves to remind the practitioner of
the nondifference between subject and object.

How do YANTRAS work ?

At the basis of YANTRA operation is something called "shape energy" or "form
energy". The idea is that every shape emits a very specific frequency and energy
pattern. Examples of old believes in shape energy
are the YANTRAS and mandalas of eastern
philosophies, the star of David, the five pointed
star (pentagon), the Christian cross, the
pyramids and so on. Certain 'powers' are
ascribed to the various shapes. Some have 'evil'
or negative energies and some 'good' or positive
energies, but in YANTRA Yoga only the benefic
and harmonious energies are used.
When one focuses on a YANTRA, his mind is
atomatically "tuned in" by RESONANCE into the
specific form energy of that YANTRA. The process
of RESONANCE is then maintained and amplified.
The YANTRA acts only as a "tune in" mechanism
or a doorway. The subtle energy does not come
from the YANTRA itself, but from the
MACROCOSM.
Basically YANTRAS are secret keys for establishing RESONANCE with the benefic
energies of the MACROCOSM. Very often the YANTRAS can put us in contact with

1
extremely elevated energies and entities, being of invaluable help on the spiritual
path.
YANTRAS are poorly known in the Occident
At this moment, there is little known about
YANTRAS in the Western world. Many people
consider them just pretty pictures and some
artists claim to draw "YANTRAS" from their
imagination. They are very far from the true
meaning and use of YANTRAS. First of all,
YANTRAS cannot simply be invented from
imagination. Every specific mood and emotion
has an associated form energy and shape. This
unequivocally determines the form of the
YANTRA associated to that mood. The traditional
YANTRAS were discovered through revelation, by
clairvoyance, not invented. One needs to be a
true spiritual master, a tantric guru, to be able
to reveal a new YANTRA to the world.
Search the Internet and the libraries and you will find very little consistent
knowledge about YANTRAS. Some people placed YANTRAS upside down, a
monument of their ignorance. You cannot place a YANTRA just any way you please.
Anyone knows that when the cross is held upside down, it is no longer a benefic
symbol. A YANTRA put upside down is no longer the same YANTRA.

"Disecting" a YANTRA
The power of YANTRAS to induce RESONANCE is based on the SPECIFIC FORM of its
appearance. Such a diagram can be composed from one or more geometrical shapes
which combine into a precise model representing and transfiguring in essence, at the
level of the physical universe, the subtle sphere of force corresponding to the
invoked deity. From this point of view we can argue that the YANTRA functions
similarly to a MANTRA (sacred word). By RESONANCE, a certain energy from the
practitioner's MICROCOSM vibrates on the same wavelength with the corresponding
infinite energy present in the MACROCOSM, energy which is represented in the
physical plane by the YANTRA. The principle of RESONANCE with any deity, cosmic
power, aspect, phenomenon or energy owes its universal applicability to the perfect
correspondence existing between the human being (seen as a true MICROCOSM) and
the Creation as a whole (MACROCOSM).

The Yantric Contour

Every YANTRA is delimited from the exterior by a
line or a group of lines forming its perimeter.
These marginal lines have the function to
maintain, contain and prevent the loss of the
magical forces represented by the core structure
of the YANTRA, usually the central dot. They also
have the function to increase its magical and
subtle force.
The core of the YANTRA is composed of one or
several simple geometrical shapes : dots, lines,
triangles, squares, circles and lotuses
representing in different ways the subtle
energies.

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The Dot (BINDU)
For example the dot (BINDU) signifies the focalized energy and its
intense concentration. It can be evnisaged as a kind of energy deposit
which can in turn radiate energy under other forms. The dot is usually
surrounded by different surfaces, either a triangle, a hexagon, a circle
etc. These forms depend on the characteristic of the deity or aspect
represented by the YANTRA. In the tantric iconography, the dot is
named BINDU; in tantra BINDU is symbolically considered to be SHIVA himself, the
source of the whole creation.

The Tiangle (TRIKONA)

The triangle (TRIKONA) is the symbol of SHAKTI, the feminine energy or
aspect of Creation. The triangle pointing down represents the YONI, the
feminine sexual organ and the symbol of the supreme source of the
Universe, and when the triangle is pointing upwards it signifies intense
spiritual aspiration, the sublimation of one's nature into the most subtle
planes and the element of fire (AGNI TATTVA). The fire is always
oriented upwards, thus the correlation with the upward triangle - SHIVA
KONA. On the other hand, the downward pointing triangle signifies the
element of water which always tends to flown and occupy the lowest
possible position. This triangle is known as SHAKTI KONA.
The intersection of two geometric forms (lines, triangles, circles, etc.) represents
forces that are even more intense than those generated by the simple forms. Such
an interpenetration indicates a high level in the dynamic interaction of the
correspondent energies. The empty spaces generated by such combinations are
described as very efficient operational fields of the forces emanating from the
centeral point of the YANTRA. That is why we can very often encounter
representations of MANTRAS in such spaces. YANTRA and MANTRA are
complementary aspects of SHIVA and their use together is much more efficient than
the use of one alone.

The Six Points Star (SHATKONA)

A typical combination often found in the graphical structure of a YANTRA
is the superposition of two triangles, one pointing upwards and the other
downwards, forming a star with six points (SHATKONA), also known as
David's Star. This form symbolically represents the union of PURUSHA
and PRAKRITI or SHIVA-SHAKTI, without which there could be no
Creation.

The Circle (CHAKRA)

Another simple geometrical shape often used in YANTRAS is the circle, representing
the rotation, a movement closely linked to the shape of spiral which is fundamental
in the Macrocosmic evolution. At the same time, the circle represents perfection and
the blissful creative void. In the series of the five fundamental elements it represents
air (VAYU TATTVA).

The Square (BHUPURA)

Between the simple geometrical elemets that compose YANTRAS there is also the
sqaure (BHUPURA). The square is usually the exterior limit of the YANTRA and
symbolically, it represents the element earth (PRITHIVI TATTVA).
Every YANTRA starts from the center, often marked by a central dot (BINDU) and
ends with the outer square. This represents the sense of universal evolution, starting

3
from the subtle and ending with the coarse, starting from "ether" and ending with
"earth".
Even tough most of the times YANTRAS are composed of these simple geometrical
shapes, sometimes we encounter other elements such as arrow points, tridents,
swords, spikes included in the design of a YANTRA with the purpose of representing
vectors and directions of action for the YANTRIC energies.

The Lotus (PADMA)

The lotus symbol (or its petals) is both a symbol of purity
and variety, every lotus petal representing a distinct
aspect. The inclusion of a lotus in a YANTRA represents
freedom from multiple interference with the exterior
(purity) and expresses the absolute force of the Supreme
Self.
In conclusion, a YANTRA is a very complex spiritual
instrument in the tantric practice (SADHANA). It can calm
and focus the activities of the mind, and by its positive
auto-suggestion it has a benefic impact on the health and
psychic well being of a person.
A YANTRA alone represents nothing. Only when it is awakened by mental
concentration and meditation will the process of RESONANCE appear and the benefic
macrocosmic energies will manifest themselves in the practitioner's MICROCOSM.

How to Use YANTRAS

As we showed above, the secret key to using YANTRAS in meditation is RESONANCE.
The process of RESONANCE is established by mental focus on the image of the
YANTRA. As long as the mind is tuned into the specific mood associated to that
YANTRA, the energy flows, but when the RESONANCE is stopped, the energy
disappears.

Instructions for YANTRA meditation :

hang the YANTRA on a wall facing North or East, placing the center of the YANTRA
at the level of your eyes
adopt your favorite posture or, if you want, sit on a chair maintaining your spine
straight
breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, but do not force at all, just
let the breath flow normally

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 look into the center of the YANTRA, trying to blink as rarely as possible; you don't
want to look at the particular details of the YANTRA, just keep your sight right in the
center and observe the whole YANTRA at once
this exercise should last at least 15-30 minutes every day; the experience will be
indescribable
in time, after at least seven days of YANTRA meditation you will be able to tap into
the same yantric energy even without a YANTRA (at the beginning you may fix your
sight on an exterior or imaginary point or evoke the YANTRA with your eyes closed)
do not forget to consecrate the fruits of this practice to God (karma yoga); you
should not chase any objective when doing YANTRA meditation, just let it gradually
guide you towards the sublime energies of the MACROCOSM
when executing this techniques it is recommended that we maintain a state of
aspiration and intense longing for experiencing the beatific energies of the
consciousness
in superior phases the YANTRA absorbs the practitioner's complete attention, and
he can no longer tell if the YANTRA is within himself or if he is within the YANTRA;
this is the state of nonduality.

DASHA MAHA VIDYAS

Kali

Tara

5
Tripura Sundari

Bhuvaneswari

Tripura bhairavi

6
Chinnamasta

Dhumavati

Bhagalamukhi

7
 Matangi

Kamalatmika

Gayatri

8
The Mental

Sahasrara

Shambala

9
Shiva in Manifestation

Siva Transcendent

The Seven lotuses

10
Supreme Self, Atman

Surya
Tattvas

Akasha

11
Vayu in Akasha

Tejas in Akasha

Apas in Akasha

12
Prithivi in Akasha

Akasha in Vayu

Vayu

13
Tejas in Vayu

Apas in Vayu

Prithivi in Vayu

14
Akasha in Tejas

Vayu in Tejas

Tejas

15
 Apas in Tejas

Prithivi in Tejas

Akasha in Apas

16
 Vayu in Apas

Tejas in Apas

Apas

Prithivi in Apas

17
Akasha in Prithivi

Vayu in Prithivi

Tejas in Prithivi

18
Apas in Prithivi

Prithivi

19
The Fifteen Nityas

Nitya 1

Nitya 2

Kameshvari Nitya

20
Bhagamalini Nitya

Nitya klinna Nitya

Bherunda Nitya

21
 Vahnivasini Nitya

Mahavarjejvari Nitya

Sivaduti Nitya

22
 Tvarita Nitya

Kulasundari Nitya

Nitya Nitya

23
 Nilapataka Nitya

Vijaya Nitya

Sarvamangala Nitya

24
Jvalamalini Nitya

Chitra Nitya

25
Yin yang

Ganesha

Dscn5753

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 Karma Yoga
The Yoga of daily life

By Gregorian Bivolaru
Translation from Romanian: Rodica Harabagiu
Final correction of text: NATHA,Copenhagen, 1999
Motto: "In a state of detachment perform what has to be done, no matter what it is, and never
wish to assume the fruits of your doings."
Karma Yoga represents one of the four main classic
forms of Yoga. Karma Yoga represents a starting point and
is an essential part of the teachings of Bhagavad Gita,
this serves as sufficient ground for its authenticity.
Like all other forms of Yoga, the main and final purpose of
Karma Yoga is to facilitate and accelerate the spiritual
evolution of its persistent practitioner. The main difference
from other forms of Yoga is that Karma Yoga can be
practised well from the very beginning, and can be
applied all the time, all day long, because it is applicable
to all human activities. Compared to Karma Yoga, the
continuous daily practice of Bhakti Yoga for example is
only available at a very high level of attainment and the
practice of Jana Yoga (with its main form Hatha Yoga) is
restricted to specific periods of the day, for a specific
interval of time. These arguments lead to the conclusion
that Karma Yoga is an instantaneous form of Yoga for the
daily life.
From the different traditional definitions of Karma Yoga, the
most current and precise, though not yet complete, is the
following: "Karma Yoga is the Yoga of deep and thorough fusion with the Divine, through any
unselfish action". Karma Yoga starts from the fact that at any given moment of our daily life, even
when we feel forced to act one way or another, we remain free to choose and we bear the whole
responsibility of our actions. The use of any spiritual discipline - Yoga, or any other spiritual path -
implies the existence of free will, both in directing
ones life and in the choice of the method for doing
that. The main question to which Karma Yoga helps us
to get an answer is: How and why should we choose
between two or more courses of action at a given
moment? Through persistent practice we can find out
that Karma Yoga gives us more freedom, unbelievable
as this may seem to the Western people.
Many contemporary sages, like Sri Ramakrishna or Sri
Aurobindo, have shown that Karma Yoga is very well
adapted to modern times and suitable for all human
beings, even more so than Bhakti Yoga, which suits only
those with intense religious inclinations (very rare
nowadays). Karma Yoga suits all beings even better than
Raja Yoga, which implies an intellectual effort beyond the
possibilities of the common individual. Compared to
Jana Yoga, where a strong power of concentration and
internalisation is required (currently a very scarce
quality), Karma Yoga is easier to practice because it
does not require all these talents. Moreover, Karma Yoga

27
suits Westerners extremely well, who are always ready to act and more or less sceptical about
the value of spiritual practices, that are taking people away from practical life in a materially
oriented society.
I should also emphasise that the practice of
Karma Yoga does not exclude the simultaneous
practice of one or more of the other forms of
Yoga, but will amplify their efficiency. This
connection with other forms of Yoga is not
essential, because even when practised alone
Karma Yoga is sufficient in itself for bringing the
highest state of spiritual attainment. Karma
Yoga has also a great advantage that is not
found in the other forms of Yoga. While Bhakti
Yoga, Raja Yoga, Tantra Yoga, Haha Yoga and
even Jana Yoga, when practised incorrectly,
without the careful supervision and guidance of
a competent guru, can bring about
seriousphysical or mental damage. Karma Yoga
presents no dangers for its practitioner, even if
its knowledge is based just on written teachings.
Regarding this aspect, we will further on quote
several contemporary masters:
Swami Vivekananda: "On the Bhakti Yoga path
there is the big danger that the receptive soul might start to mistake fleeting emotions for spiritual
revelations and might interpret ordinary aspirations for the true spiritual aspirations" (Practical
Yoga). "With few exceptions can we learn Raja Yoga without danger, unless directly guided by a
genuine spiritual guru" (Foreword to Raja Yoga).

Sri Ramakrishna : "The Jana yogi says: I am

that, but as long as we consider our body as being
our immortal Self, this is ill-fated egotism. It will not
help us to progress, but will lead us to ruin"
(Teachings of Ramakrishna).
Swami Brahmananda: after his disciples were
already purified by the practice of certain asanas and
forms of praayama, he told them: "Regarding the
Haha Yoga practices, avoid them if you don't want
to support painful consequences. Haha Yoga is a
very dangerous path when practised in ignorance,
without the guidance of a competent guru" (Spiritual
disciplines).
We add here that the Karma Yoga system is almost
free of metaphysical or religious concepts and, even
in an advanced stage of practice, Karma Yoga does
not require the help of any physical discipline and of
any diet. However it stands to reason that the Karma
yogi should do his best to stay healthy.

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 The main goal inKarma Yoga
Swami Vivekananda describes the ideal of Karma Yoga as follows: "The ideal human being is
the one who amidst the deepest silence and the biggest solitude finds the most intense activity,
and the one who amidst the most intense activity
finds the silence and solitude of the desert." "The
Karma yogi doesnt need to believe in any
doctrine. He may not even believe in God, he may
not ask himself what is the soul and he may not be
attracted by any metaphysical speculation at all"
(Practical Yoga).
However, because the spiritual masters from the
Orient whose teachings we have inherited are all
profoundly religious, it is not surprising that they
interpret Karma Yoga from this perspective. Sri
Ramakrishna says: "Karma Yoga is the
spontaneous communion with God through
action". From the perspective of Bhakti Yoga
system, this interpretation can be seen as the
revelation of the Divine through love and from the
perspective of the Jana Yoga system as the
pursuit of the awareness of the Absolute Divine.
Ramakrishna said also: "The supreme goal in
Karma Yoga is the same as in all forms of Yoga:
the realisation of the Supreme Eternal or the
Impersonal Divine."
The efficiency of
theKarma Yoga system
Irrespective of the way we represent our spiritual goal, this can be attained through one of the
forms of Yoga. Enlightenment (moka), is defined in Hinduism as the communion with the Divine
in all forms, the attainment of the divine plane of consciousness, the anchoring of consciousness
in the Ultimate Truth, the attainment of a bigger freedom in life. Moka can be obtained through all
forms of Yoga, but it is more easily and readily reached
through Karma Yoga. Regarding this here follows quotes
from well-known sages. Swami Sivananda: "Many people
believe that Karma Yoga is an inferior type of Yoga, but
this is a great error."
Rabindranath Tagore: "Many of us wrongly think that
action is opposing freedom." "We will never obtain a
significant result by trying to reach the Infinite outside of
the domain of action." "If we declare that we would like
to realise Brahman (The Supreme Divine) during
introspection only and that we leave Him out during our
exterior actions, considering that we want to benefit from
his presence only through the love that we feel in our
hearts during prayer, without any other adoration for Him
through other exterior modalities, or if we consider that
only the contrary is true, then we are obstructing our
work on the long way towards the Truth and we set
ourselves for a pitiful failure" (Sadhana).
Sri Ramakrishna: "When performed without attachment
the action becomes an easy way to obtain the real goal

29
in life, which is communion with God."
Sri Aurobindo: "The detached activity is very often the only necessary instrument for the ineffable
union with the Master of Creation." "To perform all activities in an intimate fusion and in deep
communion with the Divine which is in us, in profound harmony with the universal around us and
with the transcendental beyond us, not to let us be limited by our often separating and rigid
human mind, not to be the slave of its ignorant or aberrant imperatives and of its narrow
suggestions, this is Karma Yoga." (Integral Practical Yoga).
Swami Vivekananda: "Through detached activity the human being can easily get where Buddha
got only through meditation and Jesus through love and prayers" (Practical Yoga). Even if this
formulation may be shocking for some fundamentalist Christians, it shows clearly that for Swami
Vivekananda, Karma Yoga is as efficient as Raja Yoga or Bhakti Yoga practised at their highest
level.
Ma Ananda Moyi: "He who practices Karma Yoga will quickly realise Brahman (The Supreme) as
Absolute Consciousness and will receive the grace of the Divine Mother" (Teachings of Ma
Ananda Moyi).
For the careful student of the Hindu spirituality it is obvious that these are objective goals to be
reached both in Jana and Bhakti Yoga.
Swami Ramadas, who reached enlightenment through Bhakti Yoga, says: "Not by ceasing to act,
but by acting completely detached can we effortlessly obtain the supreme state of beatitude and
enlightenment" (Letters).
Swami Brahmananda, the spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna: "We can obtain the Supreme
Knowledge even if we only persistently partake in various activities consecrated to the Divine"
(Monastic disciplines).
Ramana Maharishi, the intransigent Jana yogi: "Action free of desire, with a total detachment
from its fruits, is superior to the knowledge combined with practice" "The state in which the
performance of the action is free of desire is the way which easily leads towards enlightenment."
(Teachings of Ramana Maharishi).
As a conclusion here we can say that: if performed in the spirit of Karma Yoga any action, no
matter how unimportant, can help us to advance towards Enlightenment.

The Specific Technique

inKarma Yoga
The theoretical grounds and techniques of action in
Karma Yoga are clearly stated by Kna in the Bhagavad
Gita, with the only observation that the order in which
these ideas are presented is not the most convenient for
Western people. Briefly, the wise teachings of Kna
are:
1. One can not be without action, even for a
second.
2. One should not make inaction ones goal.
3. Certain actions are obligatory, therefore we
cannot escape them.
4. One should not desire the fruits (or the
consequences) of ones actions.
5. One should not be attached to the action
itself.
6. One should not consider oneself as being
the author of the action.
7. Any action, regardless of its nature, will not
enchain its performer, if it is done in this way.
8. In fact, we can say that Karma Yoga is the
divine skill (wisdom and non-attachment) in actions.

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Following this order we will analyse the elements of the Karma Yoga system:

1. One can not be without action, even for a second.

The first statement: "The human being cannot be without action" has an exclusively theoretical
character, serving as preparation for the second statement: "inactivity shouldnt be the goal",
which is of a practical nature and, as we will see further, it is addressed more to Easterners than
Westerners.

We will proceed now to examine these aspects closely: In the Bhagavad Gita, Kna returns to
them three times: - "not even for a moment can one be without action. Everything inevitably goes
towards action". "Even your physical life", says Kna to Arjuna, "cannot be maintained without a
continuous action".
And finally, "no incarnated being can renounce
action totally. Action is inevitable".
In other chapters from Mahabharata, Kna is
approvingly quoting one Brahmin who says to
his wife: "In this world it is impossible not to
act, even for a single moment"
(Ashvamedhika). Different people living in all
times recognise this truth. Even nowadays, the
great sages reconfirm this truth. Sri
Ramakrishna said: "No one can avoid action.
The mere fact of saying I am or I am
thinking implies already action. We cannot
escape action; action is a natural law".
Swami Vivekananda also says: "We cannot
live even for one single second without
acting". Swami Brahmananda comes to the
same conclusion: "Without action our
existence would be impossible". Swami
Ramadas wrote: "To act is the very
fundamental expression of the nature of our
being, in the same way as the meaning of a flower is to spread its perfume. As such, we should
act with wisdom. We cannot do otherwise, because it is impossible. Even if sometimes the human
being is immobile and apparently inactive, his organs and his inner structures, the psyche, the
mind, the intellect are always more or less active. The complete cessation of all actions is
therefore impossible". This is an obvious aspect that is revealed when deeply reflected upon.
During the deepest physical immobility, thinking is still active, and even if we can partially stop it
(which is very often only our imagination), the natural functions of the body (respiration,
circulation, etc.) will not cease their activity. Sri Aurobindo says that even when the mental activity
is stopped, in the brain there still occur certain "vibrations" that are perceptible and identifiable.
No matter what, even a total inaction will not stop us from acting and therefore modifying
the course of what would have happened if we had acted in a normal way. This is because we
can operate in a subtle way through our aura and thus manifest influences over our immediate
surroundings through our inner attitude or intention. These influences, through resonance
and induction, can for example make us happy or worried, and if they are very strong they can
determine a sort of contagious emulation in people that are around us, which will have positive or
negative effects upon us, changing our inner state accordingly.

2. One should not make inaction ones goal.

If inactivity is impossible then it is obviously irrational and erroneous to propose it as a goal in any
form of Yoga. Kna tells Arjuna: "Do not allow attachment to inactivity in any way". To prevent
any misunderstanding on Arjunas part, he is also adds: "Notthrough abstinence from actions
will people enjoy non-action, not by renouncing actions will they attain perfection". He continues
by emphasising "Action is always superior to inaction".

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In Knas time, these revelations were directed towards several important Jana and Raja Yoga
schools which were exaggeratedly emphasising as a necessary stage and even as a final goal of
the spiritual discipline the complete cessation of all physical and even mental activities. This
abnormal approach is not attractive today, except for small groups that claim certain
phantasmagorical understanding of the teachings of ankara and Patajali. Actually, many people
are inclined to believe that any activity, other than spiritual, is a necessary evil for which we
should not allow more than a minimal time and save the rest for inner focusing, for meditation,
worship, etc. This is why, the great contemporary sages have considered it necessary to remind
us of the words of Kna. For example, Tagore said: "In order to live harmoniously, we have to
work; life and activity are tightly entwined". "Who will be so insane as to always run away from the
happy crowd looking for God only in the prostration of inactivity? ".
Swami Ramadas explains: "Yoga does not mean renunciation of action; on the contrary, it rises
the action to the highest spiritual level" (The presence of Ram).
Swami Brahmananda, even while asking his disciples to meditate a few hours daily, he said: "I
am asking, why are you so afraid of your work? If you really want to realise God then work
perseveringly and wait. You should never totally abandon other activities" (Spiritual disciplines).
Sri Aurobindo continuously returns to a similar idea: "Work has a primary importance. Doings are
necessary; Yoga of action is indispensable. The idea of abandoning the physical activity in order
to accelerate the development of our mind is a fantasy of our mental ego" (Practical Integral
Yoga). He also says: "To continue the physical activity helps us to keep the balance between the
inner experience and the outer development" (Yoga Guide). Even so, sages of all times are also
emphasising that the obligation to act more or less visibly ceases for those rare human beings
who, upon reaching a high spiritual level, cannot objectively conform anymore. That is why, for Sri
Ramakrishna, only the people which are not sattva (pure, balanced) must obey to the imperatives
of work in this world (Teachings of Ramakrishna). As such, the pure sattva being, who is free of
tamas or rajas has attained almost a superhuman level. Swami Vivekananda is referring to these
people when he says: "There are nevertheless, exceptional beings completely content with the
Self, beings whose wishes are beyond the Self, beings whose mind doesnt wander away from
the Self, beings for which the Self is everything; only these beings dont need to work anymore.
The rest of humanity is obliged to pass slowly, slowly through the world of activity. Karma Yoga
shows us the principle, reveals to us the secret, and offers us a method to perform it in practice,
with maximum efficiency".
Ma Ananda Moyi talks in the same way: "we should never stay without doing something, or wait
in a state of inertia for a state of pure and perfect being to appear". It is very useful to observe
that even the greatest sages who have attained the highest state of spiritual evolution continue to
act tirelessly.
As a last word on this point, in Mahabharata the king of the Gods, Indra, says: "people who
criticise action are sinful".

3. Certain actions are obligatory, therefore we cannot escape

them.
To this short, imperative indication Kna adds another, of a complementary positive nature. In
the beginning of Bhagavad Gita, Kna says: "Perform the necessary action as I have indicated"
(i.e., according to the Karma Yoga principles). And at the end Kna reminds us: "It is not
necessary to renounce those actions which are correctly integrated and consecrated". It is
important to discover what these indicated actions are, "which must be performed". It is
possible that Kna refers here to certain special procedures, to certain Yoga techniques, to
specific ways of purification and sublimation or to details pertinent to one or another form of Yoga.
All these acts "must necessarily be performed" because, "they purify the blood" determining the
refinement of the human being and to them Kna will refer further. Nevertheless, a further
reading of Bhagavad Gita will show that Kna does not refer to these kinds of actions.
Nowadays, however, this principle obviously gets a different significance and in order to
understand it better, we must refer to the competent opinion of contemporary sages.
For the fortunate ones who are guided by a true guru (not all those who call themselves guru-s
are genuine!) the problem is very simple: they must follow as closely as possible the guidance of

32
their spiritual guide in order to elevate themselves inwardly and grow spiritually. For those who
dont have a guru we will refer to the teachings of the great Karma Yogi; Mahatma Gandhi. He
said: "the law of activity is the law of life" and we know that for him the law of life was the daily
request dictated by his consciousness that was tuned in to the divine consciousness. He said:
"God created the human being in such a way that he can get his daily food or his daily energy
through his work or activity. The one who is eating without working or who is inertly waiting to
receive without deserving it or without acting, is a thief".
Sri Aurobindo said: "We have to obey our social obligations in a detached state, but consider
them as a true field for Yoga practice" (Integral Practical Yoga).
He considers that every activity is spiritual and useful for the one who performs it with the right
attitude of detached integration. In his words: "we should perform all our actions with a
detached attitude, in the right state of consciousness and with spiritual integration".
This way of doing things produces an inner state that is equivalent to a state that follows a
successful meditation. In fact for him, "action or activity is nothing else than another specific form
of preparation, equally important as Yoga meditation."
Swami Ramadas also states "The action performed in a state of complete absorption (fusion) into
the Supreme Eternal Centre of the universe is that which the sages call yogic action (The
Presence of Ram).
In this case, the nature of the action becomes of a secondary importance. Here we can again
quote Sri Aurobindo: "We can use any action or activity as a field or area, in which we exercise
every moment in the wise spirit of the Bhagavad Gita" (Integral Practical Yoga).
Swami Vivekananda says about this: "Even the lowest or apparently inferior aspects of activity
should not be despised" (Practical Yoga).
Sri Aurobindo insists: "It is absolutely untrue that physical
activity has less value than the sustained mental activity; only
the arrogance of the limited intellect can pretend this." The
efficiency of the action that was firmly consecrated and that is
performed through and for the Divine is directly proportional
to the degree of divine offering. The manual action
intentionally performed only for the Divine is superior to the
mental activity intentionally performed only for our own
egotistical evolution, for personal glory, or for transient mental
satisfaction.
According to the Indian tradition regarding Karma Yoga, the
choice of actions "which have to be performed" by a certain
individual is determined by what in India is called svadharma
(The appropriate law). While in the West, the religion, the
morality and the law are made of rights and restrictions given
in absolute terms, reserving the right for multiple exceptions,
the Hinduism gives different rights and duties, sometimes
contradictory, to the different groups of people within society.
To name just one example: in the West there is an absolute
principle preached by the church and applied in court: " thou
shall not kill!" This principle is so strict that it has produced some extreme individuals and social
groups that are categorically condemning euthanasia and abortion. To this strict imperative of
not killing there is a big exception: "During war do all your best to kill the enemy". And even
this calls for an exception: "Do not kill the enemy if he is disarmed, if he surrenders, or if he is
already a hostage". There are many other examples of exceptions. The traditional Eastern
teaching has a different approach: it accepts that the duty (dharma) is not the same for all, but
varies according to age, sex, social status, caste, etc. Thus, everybody has his own individualised
duty, his own svadharma.
Here follows some significant examples: in India, people who belong to the caste of Brahmans
must strive to be non-violent to such a degree that, with very few exceptions, all Brahmans are
strictly vegetarians. Those belonging to the caste of warriors, katriyas, have as an essential duty
to defend what they deem as being right, using violence if necessary. The head of the family must
work to support those who are depending on him. The person who listens to the "divine call" and

33
becomes sannyasin (disciple aspiring to enlightenment) and also the one who (according to a
now discontinued tradition) has married his children, these two categories may not work anymore
to earn their existence or to provide for others, and must exclusively live from begging when they
pursue the spiritual realisation.
"All people" wrote Swami Sivananda, "must fulfil their duty according to the requirements of the
social group to which they belong and to the stage of life (ashrama) in which they are" (Teachings
of Sivananda). No doubt, this system could not be directly transposed in the West, because in the
East the Hindu system of castes plays a very important role. For instance, in a few fishermen
communities from the South of India, it is an obligation to throw the net with the left hand and it
would be a great sin to throw it with the right hand, while in other fishermen communities in India
the opposite must be done. Nevertheless, many problems and inner tensions could be easily
solved if we abstain from following blindly and defiantly a very general and apparently absolute
rule without filtering it through common sense and intelligent analysis.
It is not without interest to mention here the warning of eastern sages against what we often
compliantly call duty, even if in reality this could be only a well-disguised selfish desire.
Referring to this, Swami Vivekananda says: "when an attachment is well rooted we often call it a
habit when the attachment becomes chronic we proudly call it duty ... Those wishing truly
to be Karma Yogi-s must eliminate this false notion of duty." (Practical Yoga).
More Eastern sages insisted on the necessity of devoting oneself with priority to what Swami
Vivekananda calls: "the duty which here and now is the closest to us". Mahatma Gandhi explained
this aspect in detail in his svadeshi doctrine: "A real adept of the svadeshi doctrine must have as
first duty to devote his services and help to his closest neighbours. This will entail the exclusion
and even the sacrificing of the interests of the rest, but this exclusion and sacrifice is just an
appearance. Through its own nature, the help or service done for the close ones can never result
in an obstruction for those that are far away, on the contrary. This is how things are both for the
Universe and for the individual, and this is an infallible principle, which should be deeply
understood. On the other hand, the one who lets himself be carried away by a faraway
landscape and who will go to the end of the world to serve, not only will he see his ambition
betrayed, but will also not fulfil his duties toward those in his immediate surroundings" (Letters
from Ashram by Mahatma Gandhi).
But Gandhi admits in this direction several exceptions: "There can be situations in which the
adept of the svadeshi doctrine will be asked to sacrifice his family on behalf of the universal
service. This act of freely consented sacrifice constitutes the supreme service which we can bring
to the universal family of mankind from this planet".
The indicated or recommended action may, on certain special occasions, even imply
violence against somebody. Swami Vivekananda said: "The Karma yogi is the one who
understands that the highest ideal is consecration full of ardour and non resistance; as
such, the one who understands that this non resistance is the highest manifestation of the power
we hold in us, equally knows that what we call resisting to evil is also a stage on the path
towards the manifestation of non-resistance. But before getting to this supreme ideal, the human
being has the duty to oppose and resist evil". (Practical Yoga).
Mahatma Gandhi himself, the great preacher of non-violence, stated in this direction that "the one
who remains the passive spectator of a crime is indeed, even from the judiciary point of view, a
participant to that crime". All these ideas help us understand better why Sri Aurobindo wrote to
one of his disciples: "Have no remorse for the time spent in activity and creative work" (Integral
Practical Yoga). Swami Sivananda says the same: "The activity performed with completely
detached ardour, is the key of Karma Yoga." (Teachings of Sivananda).

One should not desire the fruits (or consequences) of ones actions.

We are now going to explain the fundamental principle and the great secret of the Karma Yoga
system; once engaged on this path, we willingly and unconditionally give up the fruits of our
actions, and therefore we also give up the desire for selfishly enjoying the good consequences
or the fear of supporting the bad consequences of our actions. This is the fundamental principle
of "unselfish action through consecration to the Divine". This is what Kna firmly declares in the

34
beginning of Bhagavad Gita: "You have the right to perform the action, but only to perform it,
because from now on you should never again desire its fruits; the fruits of your action should
never be the motive which sets you to work".
"Only the poor miserable souls are acting for the fruits of their actions or from the desire for those
fruits, the constant object of their thoughts or activities". "The wise, by complete and profound
union with the Divine, and by aligning their existence and their will with the Supreme Will,
renounce totally the fruits that result from their actions".
Further on, Kna describes the consequences of this extraordinary, indeed Supreme, attitude:
"Abandoning totally the attachment to the fruits of the action, the soul succeeds to instantly merge
with the Divine (Brahman) and immediately feels an euphoric state of peace and force based on
the almightiness and beatitude of the Divine (Brahman)". In the last chapter of Bhagavad Gita,
this truth is summed up as follows: "A tyagin is one who thoroughly attained the perfect
renunciation and about him we can say that he attained this beatific and almighty peace that
comes from merging into the Supreme Absolute (Brahman) and which manifests in and through
him permanently such is indeed the one who has abandoned the fruits of action".
In the rest of Mahabharata, all other yogi-c wisemen support Knas teachings. In this
direction, Manu says: "The only spontaneous and instant way to attain the Divine is that the mind
should completely renounce the fruit of action". Likewise, Kna says: "The only true and
appropriate action which can have eternal and infinite consequences is the one not motivated by
any desire for its fruits or by the pursuit of any reward." The wise king Yudhishthira is more direct:
"The one always wishing to collect the fruits of his moral excellence makes a pitiful trade with
virtue".
All contemporary sages, without exception, agree on this point. Swami Ramadas says: "Karma
Yoga is the complete renunciation of the fruits of our actions." Swami Vivekananda frequently
returns to this theme: "Never be concerned with the fruits of your actions. Why should we be
concerned only for the results?" "Renounce entirely all fruits of your actions." "Never look or wish
for praises or rewards for anything you do". "The idea of finally obtaining something as a reward
for our activity is considerably obstructing our spiritual evolution and often ends by bringing us
suffering" (Practical Yoga).
Swami Brahmananda said to his disciples: "If you truly wish to act correctly, you must never
forget two main principles: in the first place a profound respect full of attention for the action
to be done and in the second place a total indifference or detachment for its fruits. This is
what we call the biggest secret in Karma Yoga" (Spiritual disciplines).

Ma Ananda Moyi explains: "As long as we only hide the desire of stepping forward and being
known, there is no Karma Yoga, there is just the pleasure of acting for our own satisfaction. We
act then only for selfishly enjoying the fruits of our action or for the prestige that it can bring to us.
If, before we act, we renounce completely the fruits of our action this instantly becomes Karma
Yoga" (Teachings of Ma Ananda Moyi).
The broader meaning which she gives here to the desire for the fruits of the action, is also shown
in the following words of Sri Ramakrishna: "To act only for your own material interest is degrading".
(Teachings of Ramakrishna). In fact, the continual pursuit of the results or fruits of the action,
even if we do not directly take advantage of them, is equally a manifestation of selfishness. Swami
Sivananda says: "How can an egoist person practice Karma Yoga? As long as he does not make
the effort to go beyond his selfishness, this spiritual path is impossible for him".
The same idea is formulated by Sri Aurobindo: "Karma Yoga cannot exist without the intense
desire to abandon selfishness, the rajas guna dominance, the desire for the fruits of action - which
are all true seals of ignorance. Action performed in the spirit of Karma Yoga is just as efficient
as the highest realisation in Bhakti Yoga and it is similar to the attainment of success in
contemplation" (The Yoga guide).

For the successful practice of Karma Yoga we must therefore "free ourselves of any selfish goal,
regardless of what that is" (Integral Practical Yoga). Sri Aurobindo further analyses the conditions
for this to be accomplished: "The only action which instantly unites us with the Supreme and
is rapidly purifying us spiritually, is that action which we do in a state of perfect
detachment, with no personal reasons, without looking in any way for notoriety or for the

35
ephemeral honours of this world, without setting forth our personal goals, individual
intentions, vital greed or physical preferences, without feeling vanity, without wishing to
compel recognition or to find prestige; this is in reality the action that the Divine is doing
through us by a sort of clearly felt inner imperative".
"All actions done in a selfish spirit, no matter how good they may seem to people from the
ignorant world, are not of any use for the true aspirant to Yoga" (Yoga guide). "Any action
performed with keen attention and harmoniously integrated, conceived with the intention
to be a genuine offering to the Divine, free of desire for its fruits, free of selfishness, done
in a balanced state of mind, with a complete inner equality both in success and failure.
This action being carried out mainly for the love of the Divine and not for gaininglater
rewards, compensations, or some personally desired result, having the very intense
awareness that all actions belong to the Infinite Divine Power. This is the instantaneous
way of spiritual elevation and self offering through Karma Yoga".

As one can expect, the writings of Mahatma Gandhi are filled

with the same ideas, only that he presents them a bit
differently: "the continual satisfaction lays in the sincere
effort of performing (the action) and not in the success. The
complete effort is, with anticipation, the expression of
complete victory" (Ethical religion). And as usual, he draws
upon his personal example as being instructional: "I have
just very imperfectly realised my intense desire of profoundly
melting into the Divine; I have ardently wished to be just a
boulder of clay in the Divine hands of the Creator, so that I
could serve much better, without being interrupted at all by
my ego" (Young India).
Regarding this attitude he later gives a metaphysical
explanation, which we should deeply reflect upon: "The
human being should not exploit the results of his actions.
Acting permanently in this way, will give a constant
empowerment granted by the Divine". (Quoted by Mahader
Desai in "Gandhiji in the villages of India").
When acting to obtain a result (a frequent occurrence) it is
obvious that, before everything else we think about the
possible results of our action, which we even try to predict,
according to our intelligence: the pleasure or the advantages which the action will bring us or
those who interest us. Nevertheless, we have all experienced many cases when the results were
not what we had hoped for (indeed that is what happens most often), being sometimes entirely
opposite to our expectations.

We seldom consider the long-term results of our actions. When we are enjoying a delicious and
luxurious lunch for example, or when we offer cookies to a child it is not often that we think of the
possibility of indigestion. If we recommend to someone a certain title for reading, we do so,
hoping that by reading the book some change will emerge in him, which will bring about an
enrichment of his soul or even a positive transformation of his ideas. But even in these situations,
our predictions are far from becoming true in all cases. As such, almost always we are incapable
to completely and accurately predict the results of our actions in the long run. No matter the care
or attention with which we raise a child we will never know beforehand if he will turn to be good or
bad or how will he use the faculties which we are developing in him or how will he use the
knowledge we teach him. In fact, as Swami Vivekananda rightly observed: " We can never
accomplish something which does not have some good results and, similarly, there is no action
which does not do some harm somewhere There is no action which will not simultaneously
determine, on different levels, both good and bad fruits" (Practical Yoga).
With the exception of people who reached the state of wisdom, no matter how smart we are or we
think we are, common sense and our life experience obliges us to admit that our predictions
about the results of our actions are almost always incomplete and uncertain. According to our

36
inner attitude and temperament we find that the results (the fruits) of our actions are for the
greatest part ultimately determined by the Divine will or by fate (in other words by Karma) these
results being in extremely few cases totally determined by our intentions or our firmly focused will.
As a conclusion, we can say that the desire for the fruits of action is not as fulfilling as we may
think it is and the rule given in Bhagavad Gita and Karma Yoga is not as far out as it may look at
first sight. Understanding this we must find out if there is a wise, preferable purpose to action.
The desire to obtain the fruits of action is obviously just one aspect of desire in general.
Regarding this, yoga considers desire as the most terrible obstacle on the path of inner evolution.
In Bhagavad Gita, Kna speaks about this in forty-two stras (aphorisms), from eleven different
chapters. He is full of compassion for these "souls of desire". He talks about these "poor slaves of
desire" and he continuously insists upon "the necessity of being completely free of desire". For
him, desire is one of the "gateways to hell, the destroyer of souls". And in his description of
"demonic souls" he is doubtlessly referring only to the greed for the fruits of action when he says:
"Enchained, devoured by anger and greed, constantly busy to collect ever greater profits through
dishonest ways for serving the satisfaction of their transient pleasures and the fulfilment of their
desires, they almost always think: Today I have fulfilled this desire, tomorrow, no doubt I will
fulfil another; today I have obtained this richness, tomorrow, for sure, I will obtain even more."
Kna also speaks about the eternal enemy of knowledge which, disguised as selfish desire, is a
consuming fire. And, in his vision, a person "must completely renounce selfish desire, with no
exception", if he is pursuing the "path of becoming one with the Supreme Divine Brahman". This
is why Kna insists that the aspirants towards enlightenment should "abandon, with no
exceptions, all desires born of selfishness". But he doesnt deny that it can be quite difficult "to
always overcome this enemy, named selfish desire, which is so difficult to attack".
In another chapter from Mahabharata, Kna explains to the king Yudhishthira: "About the person
who selfishly desires all the good things of this world, being entirely and always attached to the
fruits of these selfish desires, we can say that he already bears Death in his mouth The
complete restrain of selfish desires is at the root of all true virtues". We consider it unnecessary to
emphasise again that in Mahabharata all other sages are repeating the same warning. And the
same holds true for the modern sages; it is sufficient to quote only a few on this idea.
Sri Ramakrishna: "The heart which has only burned in the fire of selfish desires can in no way
stand the influence of elevated spiritual feelings or experiences" (Teachings of Ramakrishna).
And also: "Nobody can enter the Heavenly Kingdom if he holds on to even the slightest trace of
selfish desire".
Sri Aurobindo is dedicating an important part of his letters addressed to his disciples to the
techniques that will allow them to get rid of "ego and selfish desires". He says: "Problems and
suffering fall upon the human beings because they are filled with selfish desires for things or
states that cannot exist permanently and which, willingly or not, they will loose and even when
they would obtain them they will ultimately bring deception and will be unable to fully satisfy them
for ever" (Answers). He adds: " If the selfish desire is not completely mastered, how could we
walk fast and easy on the spiritual path? Because liberation shows up instantly after the loss of
ego and selfish desires".
Ma Ananda Moyi observes that "often enough, we selfishly tend to satisfy one wish through
another one, which results in the fact that desires cannot disappear and also the tendency to
desire in human beings will not disappear". (Teachings of Ma Ananda Moyi). Because of this, she
was directing all those coming to see her to replace selfish wishes with detached desires. She
said: "You are the ones who are always creating selfish desires through your thoughts, and you
are also the ones who can destroy them, by firmly and detachedly thinking the opposite".
This complete detachment and freedom from the fruits of action is for us quite hard to grasp,
especially in the beginning, because usually when we act we do so for a selfish wish, in order to
get a result or a pleasant fruit which should be favourable or at least agreeable to us. Even in
those actions that we say are selfless, it seldom happens that we dont wish for anything at
all in exchange. If, for instance, when giving a present to a child or when helping a poor person,
the recipient doesnt even say "thank you", we are, very often at least slightly surprised.
Also, most of the time we are tempted to think that if we should expect nothing in return for our
completely detached actions, then it is useless to continue them. But from the teachings of the

37
Karma Yoga system we have seen that this is a misunderstanding. What should then be our
purpose?

Obviously, there are "certain actions integrated into the Divine harmony and therefore
indicated" about which we have already spoken, but even so, they cover only a fraction of our
activities. The fulfilling of our svadharma gives us a larger scope but it is still not enough. The best
answer to this is given by Gandhi who was performing all actions that he considered to be
righteous and strictly necessary according to the highest necessity (ideal) of the moment,
without caring for the results, a fact which did not make him an easy partner in his negotiations
with the British authorities. In such a situation someone told Gandhi: "If you are going to do what
you have informed us, the consequences will be catastrophic both for India and you personally".
His answer was "This doesnt interest me at
all". This is "the highest ideal of the moment"-
meaning, that we do in a state of detachment
that which is right in that specific situation,
about which we have a feeling of duty, to be
open to the mysterious "inner voice" of
consciousness, to have a detached desire to
be the best possible vehicle or channel for the
manifestation of the Divine, to align our
intention with the cosmic will. All these are
leading to salvation if we: "offer completely our
actions and their fruits to God" as Kna says
in Bhagavad Gita. In this direction, Swami
Ramadas said: "we can easily and instantly
discover God in us if we offer him totally,
through a thorough and sincere consecration,
the fruits of all our actions" (Letters).
Ma Ananda Moyi goes even further when she
says: " the ancient prayer God, please
make my heart free of thirst for results - is
still the result of a hidden inner wish to get a result. But as long as we aspire with all our heart,
passionately, to become able to perform actions without lust of result we can be sure that, with
the help of the Divine we will attain this state. As long as the ego will exist or will dominate, inner
conflicts will burst out from time to time, even if we will try to perform detached actions. These
conflicts appear because the ego still binds us to the fruits of our actions and, consequently,
drives us in a specific direction" (Teachings of Ma Ananda Moyi).

We should never be attached to action itself

If we shouldnt be attached to the fruits of action, then logically the question arises if it is
necessary to be attached to the action itself when we decide to accomplish it. The answer of
Bhagavad Gita is clear: "As those who do not know, act with attachment, similarly those who truly
understand, know that they must act without any attachment."

To a visitor who was very pious, but attached to an important social activity, Sri Ramakrishna
gave the following prayer: "Regarding the little work which I still have to do, please God, help me
to have the strength to accomplish it without attachment" (Teachings of Ramakrishna). Informed
by one of his disciples who just returned from a travel abroad - about the prevalent state of
spirit in the West, Ramakrishna said: "The excessive attachment to action that exists in the
U.S.A. and in the U.K. is to be condemned because it will shortly bring about spiritual
decadence".
Ma Ananda Moyi gives clear details in the same direction: "If for a certain reason the slightest
resentment appears, then the action cannot be considered without attachment. Lets suppose
that you do the biggest part of a work and then, for some reason, you must abandon it and let
somebody else take over. This other person will bring the work to completion and will receive the

38
merit for the whole work. If this will even slightly bother you how could we then say that this was a
detached action? No doubt that the desire that someone should be grateful to you is still existing
in you. In the middle of any action, at any moment, in any circumstances, you should be ready to
detachedly obey to any necessity of the moment. Suppose that you are very hungry and, at the
moment you bring some food to your mouth, somebody is asking you to go somewhere. In that
right moment you should happily abandon the food and detachedly fulfil the request. Such an
attitude reveals the one who is firmly anchored in a state of happiness that doesnt belong to
this world.
When we are approaching the permanent inner state where no effort is necessary, to be
punished or rewarded for a mistake that rises during the performance of our task is of complete
indifference to us. Then we are just detached instruments that are offering themselves to the
hands of God. The body is then acting as a detached instrument and we are detachedly looking
at the action as spectators. Then we realise with lucidity the great number of tasks that we can
accomplish through the intermediary of this body. This state gives us a huge energy and high
efficiency. The total non-egotistical action is filled with beauty, leading to the state of beatitude,
because it is not motivated by any selfish desire for self-satisfaction. As long as the obstacle
represented by our ego is not overcome, even if we think that we should act detachedly, we will
not be able to do so and will often be hurt and suffer (because we desire at least some of the
fruits of our actions). This will bring about at least a change in the expression of our eyes and of
our face, and this significant aspect is easily visible and perceptible in our entire way of being"
(Teachings of Ma Ananda Moyi).
Just like desiring the fruits of an action is only a form of selfish desire - even if this is one of the
most difficult to overcome - the selfish attachment to the action itself is also one of the many
forms of attachment, maybe the most subtle. In Bhagavad Gita, Kna considers as selfish
attachment to the activities of this world, not only the attachment to action, but also attachment to
a thing, a being, a place, attachment to a home and even attachment to understanding. He
stresses that "only the one who has renounced all selfish attachments is not bound any more to
sin", "only that person will instantly discover the infinite happiness which exists in the Supreme
inner self".
Sri Aurobindo shows that "all selfish attachments perturbs or hinders the spiritual work"
(Answers). He insists: "If we select as spiritual path only the Yoga of action then we can remain in
sasara (even after we reach the highest attainment) but this will be with free consent and
sasara will be then considered as our field of free action (at that level of accomplishment there is
no obligation to act). In his inner self, the yogi should always be free of all bindings and selfish
attachments" (Practical Yoga). Swami Vivekananda reveals that in most cases, even when
unaware of it, the selfish attachment "appears only when we expect a certain reward" (Practical
Yoga). This situation is common both for the selfish desire for the fruits of the action and for the
fear of the fruits of action.

One should never consider oneself the author of the action

Karma Yoga goes even further. The next stage is about authorship: we shouldnt selfishly
consider ourselves the authors of the detached action that we are performing. But we observe
that there is not always a clear answer about who the author is in reality.
In Bhagavad Gita, Kna explains: "When actions are performed by the guas (specific modes of
nature), the human being who is led astray by the ego is thinking: I am the one who is acting."
At the end of the text Kna gives more details: "The five causes of action are: the body, the
author, the five instruments, the many types of effort and finally, the destiny (karma). These five
elements make all the efficient causes which determine the form and the result of each action
performed by no matter who in this world with his mind, with his speech and with his body".
Swami Ramadas is categorical in this direction: "Even to think, egotistically, that we are the
authors of our action is totally false" and he repeats this affirmation many times (Letters).
In Mahabharata, other sages who approached this theme are not less categorical than Kna
when talking about the true causes of action. In this way, Prahlada says it straight to Indra: "The
one who selfishly considers himself the author of his actions, be they good or bad, is endowed

39
with a vicious intelligence. In my opinion, such a person is ignorant and does not know the truth at
all" (Shanti).
When Kna talks about a devotional practice that involves the mental recitation of a famous
sacred prayer from Rig-Veda, he explains: "The person reciting the gayatri-mantra doesnt
consider himself the author of this action, nor the enjoyer of this action, nor the one who bears its
consequences".
For Bali, according to what he is telling to Indra, the true almighty author of action and the one
making the action possible is none other than the Supreme Divine Self: "That you selfishly
consider yourself as the author of action, O! Shankara, this attitude is the root of all pains and
sufferings I am not the author of action, you are not the author of action. God, the Divine, is
the author of all actions, only he is in reality the Omnipotent".
The same idea comes forth from Swami Ramadas: "In fact, God is always the unique author of
action" (Letters). He adds: "God is the one pushing us to action and He is also always the one
acting in and through us." (Letters). Sri Aurobindo also says: "It is a great secret of the spiritual
practice (Sadhana) to know how to do all things through the Infinite Power of God, which
is behind or above us, instead of doing everything only by a selfish effort" (Yoga Guide).
Otherwise, he is always warning his disciples against the temptation of considering themselves
anything else other than a simple instrument through which the action is done: "Transform
yourself into the detached instrument of the action performed through you" (Answers). "You must
always act as a complete detached instrument in the activity which you are performing". For Sri
Aurobindo one should even guard himself against the "arrogance of being an instrument".
Swami Vivekananda gives a surprising formulation: when offering something from God to
someone, "you are in reality only the intermediary agent who transports money or any other
present" (Practical Yoga).
We also quote here the words of Swami Brahmananda to his disciples: "Before starting your
activity, fervently remember God and offer him all your thoughts. Do the same thing from time to
time during your activity and also when you have finished." (Monastic disciplines). The offering
made to the spiritual guru can even replace the offering towards God. In the words of Swami
Brahamanda: "Think that all activity which you have to perform is that of God. If you can work,
understand and keep in mind this idea, then your detached work will not bind you anymore".
I close these considerations with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: "The most elevated form of
adoration consists in the accomplishment of Gods work, obeying to the moral law and serving
humanity unselfishly and with abnegation." (Religious ethics). When we follow this principle - that
we should never selfishly consider ourselves the authors of action - we are acting through non-
action. Then the eternal spark of Divinity in us (known in India as the Supreme Self, Purusha or
Atman), who is a detached witness, observes and - without partaking - accomplishes the action
with detachment through the agency of the active elements in us. Kna refers to this truly divine
attitude, in a famous aphorism from Bhagavad Gita: "The one who during the detached action can
find inaction and who simultaneously can see the action continuing even after it has stopped, that
one is, amongst many, the one of right judgement and of discernment; he is indeed in [the state
of] Yoga and he is the universal worker endowed with many paranormal capacities (siddhis)".
A warning is necessary here. It often happens that we think or imagine that we are inspired to
perform something or even that we are guided to a specific action, coming thus to the
conclusion, true or false, that we are not at all the author of that action" in the meaning given by
Karma Yoga. This is a very dangerous trap, very often present on the path of spiritual realisation.
To avoid falling into this trap it is necessary to ask ourselves (as lucidly and objectively as
possible) if this impression, which we lightly call "intuition", is merely a disguise for a personal
desire. This desire can be very honourable, but we are talking here about Karma Yoga and about
following this spiritual path in full honesty. Here, one incomplete but useful criterion is to look, if
the activity that we would like to start contains any remaining traces of selfish personal
attachment, as previously discussed.

40
 Any action, regardless of its nature, done in this way, will not
enchain its performer
Kna says in Bhagavad Gita: "The one who is in the state of Yoga (i.e., is united with the
Supreme by the perfect practice of Karma Yoga) even if he acts, because his actions are
detached they will not bind him". This is what Swami Vivekananda also says: "If we are attached
to our activity, this will not serve our soul in any way"(Practical Yoga).
Swami Sivananda says: "The action done without attachment, therefore with a good mental
attitude, without the hope for any profit, with indifference towards a possible success or failure,
will not add a new link to the existing [karma-ic] chain" ( Teachings Of Sivananda).
This is what Sri Ramakrishna meant when he said: "The Jana Yogi can act without any
attachment and therefore his actions will not be harmful for him" (Teachings of Ramakrishna).
For understanding even deeper this fundamental principle
of Karma Yoga we will take a look at the Hindu
metaphysical perspective where the belief in successive
lives and the law of Karma is self-evident.
To summarise this theory, we can say that the life, which
each one of us is living now, is not a single event, but one
link in a long chain of successive lives in which the eternal
element in us, (called Atman by the Indians), is
continuously reincarnating.
The law of Karma is nothing else than the law of action
and reaction - all actions performed in any one of these
lives will accurately determine certain effects: if not
immediately, then in one or more of our future existences,
thus bringing forth a manifestation of the Karma that was
accumulated in previous lives. But the goal of evolution is
to reach the point where all Karma is exhausted, so that
the eternal element in us (Atman) is no more obliged to
create new bodies.
All Eastern sages, old and new, affirm that what creates a
new Karma for us is not the action itself, but the spirit (i.e.,
the inner state) in which that action is performed. Swami Vivekananda says about this: "All actions
that you selfishly perform for yourself, will inevitably bring you their fruits, and there will be no
choice for you but to eat them But all actions, regardless of their nature, that you do in the
spirit of Karma Yoga will for ever remain without effect upon you" (Practical Yoga). Consequently,
the practice of Karma Yoga offers us the possibility to act without creating new Karma. This is
what Sri Aurobindo refers to in the following quote: "Not the outer form of activity in itself, but the
consciousness and the will firmly directed toward the Divine which is behind the action, are in fact
the essence of Karma Yoga".
In the Karma Yoga system it is necessary to dissociate three elements which we, generally, never
separate:
1. The intention of the action - which, if we act selfishly, is the only one who creates karma;
2. The action which, by itself, cannot create karma;
3. The consequences (results) of the action, upon which, most of the time, we do not have
any control no matter what our predictions or expectations may be.
How can we transpose this theory to Westerners, who most of the time do not accept the idea of
multiple reincarnations? If we apply the Karma Yoga technique correctly, we are not worried
about the consequences of our actions any more, because they do not depend of us anymore.
This makes all selfish remorse and egotistical regrets disappear automatically. From here an
important conclusion can be drawn: when we start practising Karma Yoga, we must, completely
and unconditionally, give up any claims for any merit, even for those actions whose
consequences or fruits are good.
Because we are fully responsible for our selfish intentions only, we can say that the goal (intent)
of our actions and its materialisation in selfish actions are the factors which create in us selfish
habits and tendencies, thus moulding our character. This is the result of karma and this is valid

41
even if we believe in a unique existence. This is even more striking if we admit, like almost all
religious followers, that after death we will collect the gratification or the punishments that we
deserve according to our actions during life.

8. Karma Yoga is the divine skill (wisdom and non-attachment) in

actions.
Swami Vivekananda has clearly emphasised that Karma Yoga gives us maximum freedom. He
says: "Karma Yoga is an ethical and spiritual system whose goal is to make us obtain
Enlightenment through altruism and completely detached good actions" (Practical Yoga). For him,
"Karma Yoga is the full realisation, through selfless activity, of this unbound freedom which is the
goal of any human nature". He also adds: "The Karma Yogi is asking himself: why do we need
another motive for action other than the blissful love that is born out of this freedom?" He explains
this as follows: "For some people it might be a difficult aspect to understand that nothing in the
Universe has full power upon you as long as you dont allow that power to freely
influence you. Through complete detachment you can always overcome or defeat the power
held by anybody or anything upon you." The state of not fearing the possible negative
consequences of an action and the state of not being egotistically attached to the positive
consequences which we expect from that action, is creating a deep inner peace and a great
freedom of spirit which allows us to act in total objectivity. This is what Swami Vivekananda calls "to
act in full freedom".
This is why Kna makes the following statement in Bhagavad Gita: "Yoga is the divine ability
(skilfulness) in actions". He later returns to this idea by saying that he "holds dear to his heart" the
one who is "skilful in all his detached actions, the one who does not selfishly desire anything and
who is pure, being detached of anything that might happen. Thus, he is not affected by any result
because he has already completely renounced all selfish initiative in no matter what action".

Swami Vivekananda arrives at the same conclusion: "Karma Yoga makes a science out of the
detached action; it teaches us to permanently use to the best of our ability all the divine,
beneficial forces which are always active in the universe". (Practical Yoga) He also adds: "Karma
Yoga is deeply knowing the secret of completely detached action". He expresses the same idea
once more, but in other words when he says: "When we do not think in terms of our egotistic I
and we do not involve it, we realise the best detached action" (Inspired Conversations). A well-
known example of ego involvement with negative consequences is the stage fright state.
Swami Ramadas says: "The action of the Karma Yogi quickly takes him very far in his spiritual
evolution and its effect lasts a very long time. This action leaves in the entire world a permanent
and profound beneficial effect." (The presence of Ram).

42
 Karma Yoga and
the sense of responsibility
We have seen that, broadly speaking, the Karma Yoga system can be resumed in four principles:
1. Do not consider any detached action as being without importance, negligible and
incompatible with the role we may think we have to play in life as Karma yogi-s.
2. Do not egotistically desire or fear the results of your completely detached actions, which
you accomplish as divine instrument.
3. Do not egotistically attach yourself to the action while you detachedly perform it.
4. Neither during an action nor afterwards should you consider yourself the author of that
action, but the instrument through which God manifests.

The last three points, if misunderstood, can easily lead to a

state of total lack of interest (which is a manifestation of
selfishness!) towards the action that has to be done. In this
case we will perform that action superficially, hastily, "it
doesnt matter how", because now we dont feel
responsible anymore. This is exactly the opposite of what
Karma Yoga is in reality. In fact Karma Yoga puts a bigger
responsibility on its practitioner. This is obvious in two
ways:
1. The difficult responsibility of choosing from among all the
existing possibilities the one which answers best to the highest
divine ideal of that given moment. It is impossible to escape from
this responsibility or hide from it, behind a dogma or a law;
2. The obligation to perform, with all your might and in a
perfect state of detachment that particular action that was chosen.
This implies that, from time to time during that action it is
necessary to set aside moments of reflection,
andconsecration to the Divine. These moments are necessary
in order to accomplish well these two conditions.
As Sri Aurobindo was writing to his disciples: "Laziness must be eradicated, of course, but
sometimes it is obvious for me that you went too far in the opposite direction. It is necessary to
act completely detached, with all the energy then offered by the Divine, but it is equally necessary
sometimes to not act at all" (Practical Integral Yoga). "Too much uninterrupted work is sometimes
altering the quality of action, regardless of the experience and the enthusiasm of the one who
does it".

The characteristic difficulty of the Karma Yoga

System
We should never imagine that the perfection and the wonderful inner realisation made possible
through the Karma Yoga system are easy to attain. Even the correct intellectual understanding of
its rules and of their correct application is not easy at all. Kna says in Bhagavad Gita:
"Regarding what detached action and inaction are in fact, even sages are sometimes uncertain
and some of them are mistaken. We must understand well the concept of detached action, wrong
action and inaction. A great wisdom is necessary here because the path of actions is often very
complicated".
Sri Ramakrishna regularly talks about the difficulties in the practice of Karma Yoga: "Nishkama
karma (the action that is detached of the selfish desire for its fruits) is very difficult" (Teachings of

43
Ramakrishna). "The total unselfish action is very difficult, especially in our time. To act with no
egotistical attachment is extremely difficult". And Swami Vivekananda observes with a certain
disappointment: "The person who can act completely detached for five days, or even for five
minutes, with no egotistical motive whatsoever, without thinking at all to the future, to the rewards
of Heaven, to gratification, to punishments or to any other things of the sort, will instantly become
a powerful spiritual giant." (Practical Integral Yoga). Sri Ramakrishna told his disciples to think as
follows: "I imagine that I accomplish my deeds with detachment, but I do not know for sure to
what extent this is an illusion and if I dont actually act somewhat attached. I do charity acts not
knowing if in this way I am trying in fact to step forward in the eyes of people." (Teachings of
Ramakrishna). And Sri Aurobindo says: "Karma Yoga is a rapid path, simpler than the Yogic
meditation, with the condition that the mind is not fixated upon Karma, but exclusively upon the
Divine" (Integral Practical Yoga).
Ma Ananda Moyi adds: "The action that is totally consecrated to God is much more valuable than
the action performed under the impulse of our own desire. The former brings about the divine
fusion that will lead to Enlightenment, and the latter has as goal the selfish pleasure that will lead
to more and more experiences in this world. The only true action is the one who reveals the
eternal fusion between the human being and God; the other actions are useless, undignified to be
called actions and because of that we can say that they are not at all actions". (Teachings of
Ma Ananda Moyi)
Combining Karma Yoga
with other forms of Yoga
The practice of the Karma Yoga system can be combined with the practice of other forms of yoga,
especially Bhakti Yoga, Haha Yoga, Raja Yoga, Laya Yoga. This is one of the main themes of
Knas teachings exposed in Bhagavad Gita. On this subject I will give several quotes:
"Abandon and offer all your works to the Divine." "No matter what you do, do it detachedly as an
offering to me. This way you will be free of the good or bad results which are making chains of the
selfish action." "Do all your actions detached, driven only by your love for me." "The one who is at
the root of all beings and who permeates the entire Universe - only by adoring Him through
activity done with detachment, can a person easily obtain perfection".
For Sri Aurobindo, Karma Yoga is most efficient when "we abandon our own will and our selfish
desires to the Divine will". (Practical Integral Yoga)
Sri Ramakrishna was telling those who came to consult him: "pray to God to send you His grace
and the strength to accomplish your duties with detachment, without hoping for any inner or outer
gratification and without fear of a punishment in this world or another". (Teachings of
Ramakrishna).
Significantly, Kna insists upon the important role of spiritual knowledge and intelligence (in
other words Jana-Yoga) in the practice of Karma Yoga: "This is the intelligence about which you
heard in Samkhya; listen now to what Yoga is teaching you: if you are in the state of Yoga through
this intelligence, O Son of Pritha, you will eliminate forever the slavery of action". He goes on to
say that Karma Yoga completes very well any other type of Yoga, among which are Raja Yoga,
Tantra Yoga, Haha Yoga, Laya Yoga, Bhakti Yoga.
For Sri Aurobindo "the activity done in a completely detached state of mind, as a form of spiritual
training is a strong way in any form of Yoga".
Swami Ramadas states: "Without Karma Yoga the practice of Jana-Yoga and Bhakti Yoga,
Haha Yoga, Tantra Yoga and Laya Yoga is only an extreme spiritual selfish glorification" (Letters).

44
 Complete freedom
through Karma-Yoga.

Every authentic spiritual path, every religion, every important philosophical system
are all expressing in specific forms the fundamental effort of the human being
towards Liberation. Consciously or unconsciously, everything in this Universe evolves
faster or slower towards the same essential goal.
This Universe, even though it is gigantic, is just a
part of an infinite existence. Restrained to a
certain form which is subjected to space, time and
determination (causality) we are perceiving parts
of this Universe with our mind and senses (we can
see it, feel it, touch it, hear it), we can draw it
from our imagination, we can perceive its subtle
force of influence and we can describe its specific
principles and laws of manifestation.
The Universe that we perceive, on the background
of which our existence unfolds, is reflected in our
mind as being finite and limited. This reflection is,
in essence, our mental creation. Beyond the limits
of this mental creation, in other words beyond our
usual mental possibilities, the laws and principles
that operate in the objective Universe are having
almost no correspondents. In this way, for the
wise man it is clear that the fundamental law of
action and reaction is perfectly plausible and
becomes operative in the limits of "our Universe".
Beyond its limits our existence is not subjected anymore to this law, because the law
of causality does not go beyond the borders of this Universe created by our mind.
Thus, it is clear that our existence in this Universe is helplessly subjected to the law
of causality (karma).
In this Universe, limited by our own perception, there is from a certain point of view,
apparently no free-will, because will, being something that we try to know through
our limited resources of "our Universe", is itself conditioned in its manifestation by
space, time and causality. As such, everything that is subjected to the law of
causality cannot be completely free because it is influenced by other factors and
becomes in its turn a cause.
Nevertheless beyond the limited sphere of this Universe conditioned and limited by
our mind, an Absolute Principle is manifested. The manifestation of this Principle is
analogous to the manifestation of the human will. This Principle, being beyond the
action of the law of causality, is absolutely free from all the laws of the Macrocosmic
Harmony.
It is normal to conclude that in order to attain this complete Freedom we must be
entirely capable of going beyond the borders of our limited and conditioned Universe.
This going beyond is in fact a movement of alteration from our limited level of
consciousness to the sphere of supreme eternal essential values, which are infinite
and perfectly free. This movement of alteration which gives complete freedom
requires a certain inner change based upon knowledge, understanding and elevation
above everything that is limited, false, ephemeral in us (all these make our Ego).
For really transcending our Ego it is necessary to know its sphere of manifestation.
All that generates new bonds in our being and fixates us in this Universe, represents

45
the field and domain of action of the Ego. Our senses, thoughts, body, mind,
attitudes, prejudices and concepts are all of them bearing, in a greater or lesser
degree, the imprint of the Ego.
Karma Yoga, through altruistic and completely detached action, is teaching us how to
suppress these tendencies that are permanently stretching their tentacles upon us
and which are manifesting themselves through our basic selfishness. By gradually
renouncing all forms of selfish attachments, by permanently and effortlessly
controlling our mental processes, by acting completely detached and never being
motivated by selfishness, by striving to offer in full sincerity all the results of our
activities to the Divine, offering to Him permanently our small and ephemeral "Ego",
by always being attentive and aware, open and yielding to all phenomena and states
that are manifesting in and through us, we will begin to gradually attain this
supreme Freedom, because from the moment we leave the Supreme Will to act
through us and guide us in all we do, we are instantly getting out of the incidence of
the laws of "our Universe" and therefore we resonate with the Supreme Harmony,
which is God.
The great yogi Swami Vivekananda says the
following in his book about Karma Yoga:
"Who can live or breath even for an
instant if the Almighty does not want
it?"
" God is the almighty Providence that is
eternally active. Each force of
manifestation belongs only to Him and it
surrenders only to Him. God is ALL and
He is present in ALL. We can only
worship Him. Thus, do not strive to
collect for yourself the fruits of your
work, but perform detachedly the good
for the sake of the good. Only then will
you truly obtain the perfect detachment.
Only then the terrifying handcuffs
created by the senses and the mind will
be broken and only then will our
complete Freedom be re-attained. This
Supreme Freedom is the essential goal
of the Karma Yoga system."

Offering help to others

from the perspective of the
Karma Yoga system
Love, truth, well-being, detachment, complete bliss, freedom, beauty, equality, in
one word: wisdom - this is not only a moral code but ultimately the supreme goal of
the human being, because they are containing an extraordinary powerful
manifestation of his spiritual force received through ineffable resonance from God.
The huge self-mastery required by the altruistic action done according to the Karma
Yoga system is simultaneously the expression and the proof of a tremendous

46
spiritual force, which the yogi can manifest, as he considers necessary according to
his free will.
To know to whom should you give help, when and what kind of help and - very
important - to know how should you give it, how much and the ways through
which this help will reach its target so that it doesnt generate new binding
effects or karmic consequences - represents the clear proof of a wise, detached
action, completely integrated in the Divine Harmony. Only in this way will your
detached action, born out of a deep understanding of the divine necessity, gradually
transform into a gigantic freedom to manifest your spiritual force bestowed upon you
by God.
Swami Vivekananda says in his book about Karma Yoga: "To physically help others
with detachment, satisfying only their physical needs is indeed a great deed; but it is
good to know that the most precious help is the one given for an extremely long
period of time. If by an hour of detached action you cover the needs of a man for
one month -- this is a big help; if this help will cover the mans needs for one year
then this is a huge help indeed. But if the man can be helped forever, in eternity,
only this will of course be the biggest divine help which can ever be given to man".
He adds: "The true spiritual knowledge is the only form of help which can annihilate
forever all our sorrows. Any other knowledge will only temporarily satisfy our needs.
Only with the help of the true knowledge
of the spirit will the roots of suffering be
forever destroyed. This is why the
spiritual help offered to a human being
is the greatest help which can ever be
offered."
The one who offers to people true
Spiritual Knowledge is the greatest
benefactor of mankind. And we see that
always the most powerful and
appreciated men were those who helped
mankind in its spiritual needs because
the Spirit alone is the base for the
activity of the whole creation.

The man who is spiritually healthy and

strong can easily be strong in all kinds
of ways, if he so desires. As long as a
man has not yet obtained the spiritual
force neither his physical nor psychic or mental needs can be satisfied in the right
way".

These statements lead us to the understanding of the following aspects:

1. The only true help is that which shows man how to help himself and others to
eliminate for good the sufferings and miseries generated by selfishness and
ignorance.
2. This help should always be given by directing man towards a direct knowledge
of himself. Only this inner knowledge will allow him to integrate in the right and wise
way the play of manifestation. This inner knowledge will confirm the existence of his
spiritual nature, and this will help him to break free of the chain of causality by
gradually eliminating selfishness and ignorance, which are at the root of his
sufferings.

47
3. For thoroughly and efficiently giving this help in a detached way, the Karma
Yogin must posses this superior divine knowledge in himself, at an experiential
level. Only if this condition is fulfilled can the yogi be a true model for the others. "If
a blind man will lead another blind man, then there is a big danger of both falling
into an abyss" says Jesus.
Sometimes by rigidly trying to apply certain laws or wise principles of action, we
arrive at an inner form of inflexibility, which is just a manifestation of a dogmatic
attitude. In this way we may hinder ourselves, from a spiritual point of view, by a
painful obsession of integrating everything according to the book, unconsciously
bringing forth again and again the biblical aphorism: "the letter kills and only the
living spirit gives life".
Knowing to detachedly and instantaneously give the right help at the right moment,
beyond any endless theories or analysis, represents the living proof of a real inner
spiritual realisation. In this state becomes even more clear the idea that "Detached
action is clearly superior to inaction".
As such, we should always try to balance our detached help with the concrete
circumstances of the moment and of the being involved, paying great attention to
the following elements:
1. What is the most important aspect or problem that must be solved in that
given situation when we try to detachedly give help to a person;
2. What is actually the most urgent problem with which the respective person is
then confronted;
3. How should our detached effort and support (which comes from the Divine)
be directed and focused for the removal or at least the diminishing of the cause that
generates at that moment the biggest suffering in the respective person.
This detached support, this help coming from God through us, this offering of
ourselves as instrument for the divine manifestation (when we have the necessary
spiritual level) can even become a complete offering of our being as a divine channel
for detachedly helping others. This is mostly the case of the great spirits of this
planet, like Jesus, or of some great spiritual teachers like Buddha or Ramakrishna
whose entire lives were a continuous sacrifice detachedly offered for helping and
spiritually awakening millions of people.

"The only solution for the total and final

removal of the worlds sufferings
consists of giving to the people the
spiritual knowledge through which the
spiritual accomplishment becomes
possible. Ignorance is the source of all
misfortunes. When people will see the
Divine Light of the Spirit, when they will
be spiritually pure and strong, only then
their suffering will disappear for good"
said Swami Vivekananda.
This continuous attitude of giving
detached help, of altruistically serving
others, has at its roots a profound
spiritual and almighty reality, which is in
fact Love. The profound knowledge of the
Self opens the doors to a divine, heavenly
realm where everything which is good,
true and beautiful becomes possible.
"When love becomes infinite, the

48
 impossible becomes easily possible", says an Eastern proverb.
When true love exists, our being becomes profound and instantly expanded in the
blissful infinite. Then we are embracing the Divine Realm that is permanently
embracing us. In those moments of embracing expansion we perceive the
surrounding beings as being part of ourselves and then their suffering, transferred
to us, is torturing us as well. Their helplessness and powerlessness is calling us to
remove it, because in that state we are able to help. Through complete
empathy, through a deep identification with the others at the level of Atman, we
spontaneously come to embrace everybody at the level of consciousness. We then
become simple and natural in everything we do and think. By feeling this way, we
realise that the others are becoming a part of us and this makes our giving stronger
and our detachment complete because now we realise that in fact God is offering
everything through us.
Being most of the time filled with love and compassion, our actions will also be filled
with love and compassion. This completely detached action filled with divine love
and released from all selfishness will gradually bring us an infinite bliss. The divine,
detached help that we are now giving to others is in fact our own happy being, our
own existence freed from conditionings.
Becoming in this way a divine triumphant force, loving now in a divine and detached
way, our power of action becomes infinite. This is the moment when we feel
omnipresent and when everything feels as being in us, because our whole being has
already become a divine channel for the force which is surrounding and impelling the
one who needs help. In this state we know for sure that this circumstance is
favourable both for us and for him and that our divine help which manifests itself in
and through us will faultlessly reach its target.
The thoroughly divine, blissful state which we are experiencing when this divine help
is manifesting through us and reaches its target, is generating the alchemical miracle
of our own transmutation, sublimation and inner transformation. In essence, by
detachedly helping others we are simultaneously helping ourselves. In such
enlightened moments we understand the words of Jesus: "The one who has will be
given more". In this state we experience an amazing inner richness, a feeling of
complete fullness and spiritual fulfilment which is overwhelming and which makes us
recognise God in everything around us.
To be able to help others detachedly is a divine privilege granted to us only when we
fully deserve it. An intense state of gratefulness toward the Divine then grows in us.
Blessed is the one who receives the divine help as well as the one who offers that
which is offered to him by God.
Be always deeply grateful to the Divine for being able to detachedly manifest love,
compassion, charity, generosity and justice. Because you are offering what in fact
the Divine, in its infinite kindness, is offering through you a hundred fold, and
through it you are becoming pure and perfect.
By thoroughly understanding that in fact the whole manifestation is impregnated by
the divine kindness, love and intelligence of the Supreme and by understanding that
all external circumstances are generated to offer to man the possibility of knowing
God in all that exists, how could we then still hold in us doubt, suspicion, lack of
trust, hatred, ignorance and suffering?
By constantly acting this way we realise that nothing in this Universe is dependent
on us, because in fact we have nothing. Not even a beggar depends on our charity.
Nothing and absolutely no being ever depends on our help; in fact all is coming from
God. These ideas will help us remove that painful and subtle form of Ego, which
leads us to think that in fact the wellbeing of others depends only upon us and that
without our support, love and spiritual force they will continuously suffer.

49
Especially for the wise one, God is the profound wisdom. God is infinite love in
continuous action, which is only manifested in and through us.
Lets open our mind and soul as wide as we can for letting ourselves be penetrated
entirely by the Love and Wisdom of God, for coming to know how we can serve Him
in eternity, becoming one with Him for reaching thus the Supreme Liberation.

On Consecration
conference transcript

by Gregorian Bivolaru
Time devours everything except those who have attained immortality. We can say that the human
being can approach God when he consecrates everything he does. The moment he offers the
fruits of his actions to God, and God receives this gift, as a fruit which is not to be used by the one
who does the action, but by God, in that moment, the being becomes close to God, to the Eternal,
and lives, to a certain extent, in the same way as God does. In this moment the human being can
feel the embrace of God as Father, and he can realise what it is like to embrace God.
It is an essential thing, and we should not forget to offer the fruits to God; so we will be able to
feel this divine state. After the consecration, we will feel that God Himself manifests through us,
and in that way, we can feel his inspiration, grace, power, and we will be freed from the chains of
karma.
Many people are afraid of their actions. Why? Because actions, made without a consecration to
God, enchain people. Sooner or later, in this existence or in a future one, these actions will oblige
their author to suffer the consequences. If the action was bad, the fruits will be bitter. But even
when the person performed good actions, he will be obliged to incarnate, to return and receive its
fruits.
In the vision of sages and saints, even this situation is an enchaining. That is why Jesus, through
the parable of the wine, makes us realise that we can attain liberation, even through action. That
is why, if we offer the fruits of our action to God and if God receives them, that is if we feel that
God will accept these fruits, feeling the grace of the Divine who receives these fruits, this gift,
through this action, we shall feel the divine grace and, in the same time, these actions wont tie
us. In these situations we wont incarnate. But if we forget this well be obliged to get these
fruits, whether we like it or not. Even if we are to receive wonderful fruits and we reincarnate in a
blissful life, we still cant avoid them.
The human being can witness the state of supreme bliss, can feel a great charge and feel the
Divine manifestation. The only condition is that we should not forget to consecrate our main
actions to the Divine.
And because we discuss this aspect, it is very important for you, especially when you are
together with your lover before lovemaking, it is very important that you consecrate, even if your
communion will be ecstatic, sublime or wonderful. But if you do perform the consecration correctly
and you do get an answer from the Divine, this consecration is valid for 24 hours, in other words
you can make love repeatedly with the same person, for 24 hours without consecrating again.
I am telling you about this because, there are still persons, even in advanced years of yoga, and I
must admit, even among the yoga instructors, who fail to make this consecration. This means that
even now, they dont understand that it is essential to consecrate such moments. If you have to
deal with such a person, I suggest that you stop, no matter what feelings you have or what the
circumstances are. You should avoid making love to such a person, even if you risk being
labelled as "strange", because if you do this, from a spiritual point of view, you have understood
correctly what consecration means.
Through consecration, the two lovers can attain really blissful states, but the one who forgets to
consecrate does not centre himself in God, and does not help you do that (in case you have

50
intended to). In such circumstances I suggest that you simply stop, it will have good effect on you
and even on that person who wants to tempt you in a karma-ic trap.
This problem is very serious, even if you are tempted to consider it superfluous. It is important for
you to know that if you have not consecrated an amorous act, even if it is with continence [without
ejaculation-ed], even if this continence is very successful and gives rise to huge energies, if you
dont get liberated in this life, youll have a good chance of reincarnating 4-5 times for each act
of lovemaking without consecration. Thus you have to taste the sweet and compulsory fruits of
your action.
I insist very much on this because there are still yogi-s who count on their fragile continence and
sometimes they even dare to come to me and tell me that it was a spontaneous act, that they felt
God anyway, that there was no need for consecration, etc. But all these are aberrations. When
speaking about karma, the traditional texts mention that the only moment when the human being
can be absolved of karma is when he clearly and distinctly consecrates the fruits of his action to
God. All other manifestations are deviations, even if someone might tell you that you dont need
to offer your fruits to God.
I also want to warn you of a foolishness of another kind: there are some that say: I forgot to make
the consecration before, but I make it after lovemaking. Such a consecration is totally misplaced,
and has absolutely no value, even if you make it for 5, 8 or 10 hours ceaselessly. This is because
there is a law of the beginning, which says that God involves Himself in what you do
simultaneously with Him. God will not change anything that you have done egocentrically,
foolishly.
There are some questions about consecration, which I am going to answer, because I regard this
as an extremely important issue. But before answering, I want to draw your attention to another
very important aspect: some people think that if they made a consecration in the morning for the
whole day, it will not be necessary to make consecration when they are about to make love for
instance. This is absurd the morning consecration is only a global consecration that refers to
your global integration during the day, but important actions as lovemaking require a special,
distinct and precise consecration. So, taking into consideration that such a consecration will not
take more than 5 minutes (one minute for less important actions) I suggest that you make it. This
will have a paramount influence on your spiritual evolution and will integrate you in what is called
Karma Yoga, i.e. instantaneous yoga which permits you to be close to the infinite and to God.
The first question:
How is the consecration of an action performed effectively?
It is performed, primarily, with a total sincerity, and it is like an offering that is given to God, like a
gift given to Him, the fruits of the action are given to Him. If we are to give an example, let us start
from something simple. Let us say that, at a certain moment, you wake up in the morning and
decide to buy milk for your mother. You get dressed, take money and a bag in your hand, and go
to buy milk for your mother, thinking: the fruit of the action I am doing now is for my mother, who
will be very happy that I buy milk for her. This action is not for me, I dont even like milk, but I do
it anyway because my mother likes milk and she will be glad when she comes back from work
and sees 2 litres of milk which I bought for her. When she comes I will tell her: "Mother, I give you
these 2 litres of milk. They are yours." In this case even our action of going to buy milk and even
the milk we bought is used to please your mother. The fruits of this action belong to your mother.
We can be glad within ourselves that mom will be glad, but even so, this joy that she will feel
because we bought her milk belongs entirely to her.
The same way, in the situation when we offer the fruits of an action to God, we should, with the
candour of a child, consecrate what ought to belong to us, or what should follow after that action,
so that it will not come to us because it is offered to God. If we do this, even if we do not know
complex metaphysical theories, in the moment when we give or think that we are to give the fruits
of the action to God, we shall feel inside an ineffable state of communion, of charging with a
transcendent, ecstatic flow, which always manifests in our being from top to bottom. We feel how
it gets through the top of the head and pervades us and makes our being be flooded by this flow
of grace. This is the answer that what we offered as a fruit is accepted by the Divine.
This state confirms that this consecration is successful, and then we know that the action we are
going to perform, is inspired by God, is sustained by Him, belongs entirely to Him, we being only
an instrument through which Gods power is manifesting. So we are only the instrument and

51
God is the one who benefits. The fruits belong to Him, both those which will come after one hour
and those which will come after 5 years, 10 years, 100 years, 200 years, 800 years; all these
fruits belong entirely to Him.
We have to offer the fruits of our actions to God, in a state of sincerity, with anticipation. And we
feel this transfiguring, elevating, ecstatic answer, which gives force, strength and perhaps even
thoughts which help us improve the action we are going to perform, we can say that we have truly
consecrated the fruit of our action to God, and it was received.
In the situation when your consecration is not followed by this answer, it means that the Divine
does not accept the respective action and we should not make it. We stop, because something is
wrong. If God does not accept this gift of ours, this means that something is not in harmony,
either in us or in the being with whom we want to perform that action or the respective moment
can be a bad time for that action. This absence of the answer of integration makes us understand
that this offering is not received. Then we should stop because, if we do it anyway, its fruits will
necessarily enchain us and we shall have no other possibility to receive them except through a
future reincarnation. This is inevitable.
If we consecrate, does that mean that the particular action will no longer have karma-ic
effects?
This statement is true, provided that this consecration is correctly done and, of course, that God
answers. It is not enough to say: "God, I offer to Thee the fruits of my actions today!" If we do not
feel afterwards the answer as a state of ecstatic communion with Godt, then it cannot be said that
we have truly done the consecration and that we will not be enchained by the fruits of our action.
Because of our action we will be obliged to reincarnate in order to eat the fruits of this action.

Therefore, it is not enough to consecrate, we also have to feel that our consecration has
been received; and this does not necessarily manifest as the appearance of an inner voice,
which says:" Yes, son, it is all right". It is an inner state, an inexpressible state which appears
clearly and doubtlessly, like something elevating, transfiguring, which makes us divine for a
fraction of a second or even for several minutes continuously, and which really shows that we can
go on and make that action because, as I said before, an action which has already been
performed, can never be consecrated to God afterwards. It is impossible and you can be sure
that God never receives the bad actions which you make saying: "If I consecrate, it has no
importance, for now I am consecrating to God the act of black magic which I perform to kill my
neighbour who gives me troubles. If I do this, God will receive it and even help me and I will not
even have karma and I will be a feared black magician because all my evil actions belong to God.
The only thing I do is to have benefit, because God killed the man with my help." No!
Please do not feed such delusions in your foolish mind, because such a thing is out of question.
God does not sustain such actions, and even if you consecrate them, the answer will be NO. The
same is with aberrant, paranoiac actions, which you might get inspired to do by other demoniac
or satanic forces. It is not enough to offer, this offering of your actions must also be received,
because you must not think that the Divine will accept any deviation.
If we want to consecrate a certain action which has our transformation as goal, for
example, an action for mental purification, or whatever we consider that we need, what
implications does such kind of consecration have?
If the fruits of the action are really offered to the Divine, then this consecration can have only
Divine fruits, of complete liberation from the fruits of the action we are performing, and, in the
same time, makes that God manifests through us and accomplishes what we have consecrated
to Him. In this way we open ourselves to God. Consecrating, for instance, a session of asana-s
and consecrating its fruits to the Divine, no doubt that we open even more to God and afterwards
His grace, power, inspiration, energy will overflow in our being and the quality of the states we
shall have will be extraordinary in this situation.
That is why it is so important that we consecrate the fruits of our actions to God. Then we can
receive from the Divine the force, inspiration and all the support so that our action will be
integrated in the concord of the Divine harmony. To forget to consecrate, would mean that the
respective action, even if it is spiritual, will be made with ones own forces, it will be an egoistic
action which will also generate karma-ic links afterwards. In such a situation, we shall have to deal

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with the fruits of this action in a future incarnation in which we shall get the precise compensation
for what we have done. In such a situation, if we did not reach liberation, we shall reincarnate and
we shall be able to live, for example, in an ashram and benefit from the spiritual environment
there, but this reincarnation will be compulsory. We will not be able to escape if, for example, we
have give initiations in a certain cosmic power, forgetting to make the consecration once, twice,
three times, five times; for example, let us say that we have initiated 6000 people, but we have
done it egoistically; for this we shall reincarnate maybe 20 times in different ashrams of this
planet, or other planets where we must benefit from this spiritual climate which we deserve. It is a
compulsory matter, we cannot escape saying: "I dont want it anymore! Ive had enough!" So,
whether we like it or not we will have to bear these consequences of our action.
In the situation when we initiate even 6 million people making the consecration, the energy comes
from God, but we dont feel exhausted, drained, finished, but we feel that we are integrated, that
our action are fluid, that an infinite force sustains us, and finally we notice that we are free, that
we cannot expect any consequence of our actions, because they do not give any fruit, we shall
not be obliged to reincarnate like in the other situation when the one who gives the same initiation
forgets to consecrate it to God. There are two different actions which, seen from outside, can
make an ignorant say: "It is the same thing." The major difference is that one consecrates and the
other doesnt. Both make an initiation in Tara, for example, in two different cities. One will be
finally exhausted, drained because he was working with his own energy, and the other will be
able to initiate 10000 people more after he finished with the 6000. Why? Because in the first
case, he functions with the energies which belong to him as ego, as individualised being while in
the second case he is integrated from the divine standpoint and all the energy comes from that
cosmic power. Whan he consecrates, he is already integrated in a circuit in which God manifests
through him. In the other case, he is alone. He might contact that particular cosmic power, but his
vitality of support can break.
For example, if somebody gives this initiation and stands on his feet for 8 hours, if he consecrates
he will not feel tired at all. In the case he will do the same action but without consecration, he will
notice that after 2-3 hours his legs will start to hurt. Even if he makes a spiritual action, his
physical energy leaves him. Why? Because he functions with his ego, with his individuality. When
he consecrates he functions with energy from God which compensates also what little he has at
the individual scale; instead of sustaining him to stand 2 hours, it can sustain him to stay even 14-
20 hours, because, actually, God sustains him and he only notices that he does not get tired and
wonders how he made it. In the other situation, he gets tired and has to stop; why? Because he is
not in communion with God.
In the case of an amorous act with a person who does not practice yoga, is it enough that
only the one who practices yoga makes the consecration?
Yes, it is enough but compulsory. And if you are with a person, who is more suspicious and feels
that it is strange that you have to hold hands for 3-4 minutes, you can make the consecration
alone: you go to the toilet for exampl and you consecrate for her, visualise her face, even think
that she is in front of you, holding your hands, and you feel the integration, the answer from God.
If the answer doesnt come, then refrain from doing that action, because this shows that there is
something wrong. Either that person is sick, or she has who knows what karma-ic past which
makes that she is not allowed to do that action with you. God knows what is with her, but it is
clear that you should not interfere. You should stop, even if it was exciting and passionate, talk
about some other aspects and try again later or the next day, maybe it was not the right moment.
If it is the same when you try again, it is clear that with that person one cannot make love with
consecration and you should not do it.
For those who still have problems with continence, both men and women, you should take into
account that a consecration received by God helps immensely to improve your continence. There
were even some persons who, after having consecrated for the first time, told me that although
their continence was quite weak, after they consecrated the fruits of their amorous fusion to God
or to a certain Cosmic Power, they noticed that their control improved very much. Some said that
there were moments when they were very close to the point of no return and they wondered how
come they did not ejaculate - as if a miracle something helped them, sustained them so that they
could go on making love without losing their control.

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It is worth keeping this aspect in mind because it can help you immensely. Even the state you get
when you consecrate the fruits to God or to a Cosmic Power changes you very much for the
better. The person with whom you make love becomes more harmonious, he or she will also feel
a state of greater happiness. The final feeling of harmony, of communion, of fulfilling, of
expansion of the consciousness is much more intensified and the refinement of the states as well.
All these aspects are to your benefit.
The only thing is that the fruits of this action does not belong to you, but the benefits which you
get are immense, and this should determine you never to forget to consecrate and, of course, to
begin only after this inner answer comes.
Can the androgynous state only be obtained after you reached the state of perfection?
You should know that the androgynous state marks the attainment of the state of perfection. The
one who reaches the androgynous state attains simultaneously the state of perfection, and you
dont have to reach the state of perfection before you attain the androgynous state. The one
who wants it very much can reach it through a couple relationship, and in the moment when the
androgynous state will be thoroughly realised within himself, that man and woman will realise, in
the same moment the state of perfection.
Of course, to reach only the first steps of androgynity does not mean to completely actualise the
androgyne state. And to attain it in the couple does not mean that both lovers will necessarily
attain it. There are situations when the woman can attain the androgynous state and the man
does not, or the other way around. Why? Because one of them may not yet have spiritual
inclinations, he is not interested. This does not mean that the one who wants to attain the
androgynous state should be handicapped because the other one does not want it. The the
androgynous state can still be attained it this case, provided that continence is perfected. Don't
fool yourself by saying "even if I am not continent, I can still accomplish the androgynous state ."
Recently was published the book Japa Yoga (by Swami Sivananda, in Romanian
translation transl. note) in which there are some secret mantra-s. Is it advisable to take
information from there and use it?
If you have the initiation in the respective mantra-s, you can use them. Those of you who have not
received the initiation, even if you want to use them, if you do not have a certain level of spiritual
evolution and especially if you did not reach perfection in Yoni Mudra, then you will see that you
will use them but those mental utterings will not be fruitful. If you have attained perfection in Yoni
Mudra, you can use any mantra, with the exception of Para Bja, which requires an exceptional
inner preparation, about which I will not speak here. So, if you feel capable of performing Yoni
Mudra perfectly, you can do it.
But whenever you use a mantra you should try to go with it until you clearly obtain some spiritual
progress, because otherwise you will find that you work with so many mantra-s that you will feel
completely confused, because they are tens of thousands, and you should not forget that you
have only one existence and if you keep on accumulating mantra-s, and if some entities from the
astral plane comes in your dreams and reveals 200 more mantra-s to you, you will only be happy
that you have accumulated so many mantra-s and that is all. Some books are full of these mantra-
s, but this does not mean that their authors have attained any high spiritual level. The same
applies to you, who, lets say, have 700 initiations in 700 mantras and know 700 forms of Laya
Yoga.
It is more important to accomplish true spiritual progress using one mantra. If you are in the comic
situation that you know 7 mantras of 7 Cosmic Powers, but you are still absent-minded, careless,
jealous, confused, then you can say that you know them in vain. If you use at least one when you
should, and you really achieve a fundamental, radical, inner, clear transformation which can be
noticed and admired by others who will say: "You were stupid before and now you are clever!
You were without vitality and now you are vital! Bravo!" Then it is very well. But if you go on
accumulating mantra-s without going deep, you will notice that it is not a big deal.
What can you say about the sect "Jehovah's witnesses"? Does it have any relation with
spirituality?
No. It is just an aberrant sect. It is not even a spiritual path. It has even some connections with
freemasonry.
Are martial arts a spiritual path?

54
Yes, to the extent to which they are really integrated as modalities of spiritual evolution. In the
west nowadays, they are distorted and the spiritual message is lost. When one who trains in
Karate has the idea: "I have an opponent in front of me and I have to kill, to destroy him", this
does not mean a spiritual path, but a deviation from an authentic spiritual path.
We do not have the necessary time to present how things are with the martial arts as a spiritual
orientation, but if you want, you can read in the traditional books about martial arts and you will
notice the discrepancy between what they are in reality and what is practised now. Erroneously
the karate practitioner today is full of ego and very proud that he can beat 20 people and has a
disharmonious Manipura; there is a very great difference between them and how the real masters
were, who had attained a high spiritual level.

Can the prayer "Our Father" said before an action replace the consecration?
No. It can, at most, create in our being a state of communion with God, but cannot replace
consecration, because consecration is our offering given directly to God, to whom we offer the
fruits of our actions. It does not have any connection with the prayer. I can say "Our Father " to
feel close to God, but this does not exclude to offer Him the fruits of my action also. They are two
different things. We should not make this confusion. If you feel that it is difficult to open towards
God to realise the consecration, before that you can say "Our Father". You say "Our Father", you
feel that state of empathic communion, of embracing which God gives you when you say "Our
Father" with feeling, and after that you make the consecration as such.
To say "Our Father", to feel the state of communion with God, and after that to say: "OK! I have
consecrated, now I can make love with my lover. I consecrated and God answered me" does not
have any efficiency from the standpoint of karma-ic unconditioning, because the act of offering the
fruits of our actions is a distinct act which has nothing to do with "Our Father". "Our Father" is
"Our Father" and the consecration of the fruits of our actions to God is something else. They are
distinct things and they should not be mixed up.
Is it enough when we consecrate to say "In the name of Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost" and to make the sign of the cross three times?
No, because this is an action of integration in the Trinity. If after we do this, we say in ourselves
and even with loud voice: "Heavenly Father, I offer You the fruits of the action which I am about to
perform, I implore You to make me understand and realise if You accept it!", then it is correct.
After that. wait in a state of interiorisation to feel if this divine transfiguring flow, like a reaction, like
a sublime, ecstatic breeze comes and floods your being. If this comes, this means that your
consecration was received, the fruits of the action you are going to make are really offered to God
and He accepted them.
To say only "Our Father" or "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost" making the
sign of the cross three times and then do the action, this gesture asks only for supplementary
help from God for the action which you are going to do, but its fruits belong to you. God can take
the fruits only if you clearly and distinctly offered them to Him. Consecration is an act of Free Will.
And to see how clear things are I will tell you a story to make you understand how consecration
functions even in the infernal worlds.
When I was in prison, I stayed in the same cell with a man who was sentenced to death for his
crimes. Knowing that I was practicing yoga, he became more inclined to confessions. Once he
told me that long ago he had been attracted by a sorcerer somewhere in Transylvania, who saw
in him some special endowments which would have allowed him to become the magicians
successor and thus transmit his malefic initiation. The magician became confidential with him and
taught him this horrible practice. In one occasion he noticed something which not even the
sorcerer could explain. This is the story:
One day they were to kill someone with witchcraft, and the one who asked for that action brought
the sum of money and 7 black hens, as the magician asked. Afterwards the hens were put in a
room where a demon was to come and eat them. The hens were offered as a pledge for the
malefic act that he was going to perform. The apprentice entered the room together with the
magician and noticed that it was a totally dark room, with the windows nailed shut and covered
with thick blankets. The hens were closed in the room, and the man asked in wonder: "What will
happen now? Will the spirit come and take the hens?" The wizard answered: "I am not allowed to

55
enter and see what he is doing. If you want, you can stay here at the door and listen, but if you
enter, he will kill you." The man remained and listened at the door.
What be heard was exactly as if someone would have appeared and chased the hens al over the
room. He heard strange noises, the hens that were clucking and screaming, a sign that
something terrible was going on, as if they were really taken away, one by one. And after that,
silence. There was an interval of time in which they could not enter into the room. The wizard
said: "We cannot enter now, but after the forbidden period, we can open the door". And so they
did, and to the bewilderment of our man, nothing was there. Not even a feather. The man asked:
"If the spirit has so much power, why doesnt he take the hens himself? Why does he need
somebody to bring them and to put them in this room, why doesnt he take them by himself?"
"Well, he cannot." answered the sorcerer. Why? The sorcerer didnt know, but I tell you the
reason: because these creatures have been consecrated to this demon, he could take them. As
for any other hen that was not specifically consecrated to him, the demon had no power upon it,
he could not get it. In the moment when they were consecrated to him, he could take them. It is
clear that he made them disappear, he dematerialised them, he translated them in another
dimension. They were no longer there, and it was out of the question that they would ever re-
appear. So, nobody knows where they went, but they no longer existed.
I did not tell you this story so you can follow this terrible example, but so you can understand the
importance of consecration. You realise that the disappearance of the hens was possible only
due to the fact that they were offered to some infernal forces, and only after they had been
offered could they be taken and not otherwise.

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 The Art of Blessing
by Gregorian Bivolaru

Fundamental revelations on the subject of Blessing were realized by Sri Yukteswar

and disclosed to Paramahansa Yogananda as presented in his book Autobiography of
a Yogi Here we dicsover Godhead, the world beyond, and the physical, astral and
causative worlds that are important in understanding the Divine Laws which form the
basis of "the Art of Blessing".

The energy of Blessing comes from the Supreme Divine Energy. Supreme Grace can
actually pour forth upon us. This Supreme Divine Spirit exists beyond the three
worlds (that is, the physical, astral and causative worlds).

What is the Art of Blessing?

The Art of Blessing

is a practice that requires a determined efficient inner effort;
through our unselfish acts, it makes us love and assist those that are unhappy,
because it is God that we love in others;
through unconditional love for all forms of God, we destroy the ego; Gods
presence will become more and more luminous in us and the malevolent influences
will diminish accordingly;
leads us to spiritual maturity, which creates the opportunity to meet our spiritual
master. This meeting takes place through the divine game for our own necessity. His
teachings will suit our requirements and we will follow him unconditionally;
will often bring moments of synchronicity;
is a direct and complete path without deception, it causes every fear and doubt to
disappear;
will guide us through itself. It will show us the path to follow; which is to give
ourselves to humanity, to develop ourselves in a way that is mutually beneficial to
humanity.

Both living and dead beings (who are now in other planes of existence) that are dear
to us can be blessed. It is exactly like a prayer, a sacrifice of light, a requiem, or
other services we do for those departed. The world exists to awaken our faith in God.
The Art of Blessing is the first essential step; it awakens our faith in God, it makes us
melt into God. In the beginning, it is enough to believe God exists for this seed to
reveal itself. Through the Art of Blessing, this seed will germinate with overwhelming
splendour. We will see nothing but God, we will even forget ourselves, because God
is everything. The Art of Blessing leads us to understand that moments of Divine
Grace or of inspiration are not by chance, but can be summoned to take place and
exactly when we want them to, as a consequence of this Art.

Divine Law and Blessing

The Law of Analogy

The law of analogy is also known as the law of correspondence between the
microcosm of man and the macrocosm of the universe; it is between the individual
spirit Atman and the Universal Spirit Paramatman.

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Everything that exists in God The Father exists in us as well. Through the Art of
Blessing we have access to the Supreme Energy of God.

The Law of Vibration

Nothing is motionless. Everything that exists is merely vibration that is manifested
on different scales. Thus the difference between manifestations of matter, feelings,
thoughts, and other phenomena has this simple explanation. The evolutionary scale
is made of grades of frequencies from the dense to the subtle, ranging up to the
Immortal Spirit of God. The higher the vibration, the more elevated the
manifestation. In reality matter is composed of energetic particles in continuous
motion of a certain rhythm. Pythagoras discovered that motion is characteristic to
every thing or being. Even what seems to be inert has a certain frequency of
vibration. Everything that exists in the Universe was created by Divine Energy. An
object subjected to vibration can seem perfectly immobile for example, the spokes of
a wheel in motion appear as a compact fixed object. Therefore we should not allow
ourselves to be fooled by appearances. Rather, we should seek further in order to be
closer to reality and to see if a thing object is coarse or refined. We will discover that
light, heat, magnetism and electricity are nothing but vibratory phenomena. This is
also true for thoughts, emotions, moods, and willpower: they are all vibratory states,
emitted towards the exterior, having a larger or smaller impact upon the
environment.

The law of vibration represents the ability to intervene in lower levels of

manifestation in order to produce the desired transformations.

According to the law of vibration, Supreme Energy is attracted to our being through
the technique of the Art of Blessing. It comes from God The Father and is the
Ultimate Supreme Energy that originates from the Ultimate Spirit of God. By
attracting it, we make the first step on the path of Divine Love. This energy is the
direct answer God The Father offers to everyone.

Ask and thou shall receive. Knock and the door shall open this is the
fundamental promise the Creator made to Creation, which He has always respected.
God The Father immediately grants Supreme Divine Energies of His Spirit as an
answer to our prayers.

The Art of Blessing allows us to receive the most valuable spiritual gifts. The energies
the individual spirit Atman receives from God have a very high frequency of
vibration; they make everything possible in the entire manifestation of spirit.

The Law of Cause and Effect

Every genuine cause that has not been erased has its own effect; and every effect
that appears has its own cause that determined it. Everything takes place according
to Universal laws established by God. "Luck" and "accident" are only names that the
ignorant give to the law of necessity. Nobody can elude the divine laws God has
established.

We have the tendency to approach the law of cause and effect in its most negative,
pessimistic and ill-fated forms this attitude seems almost normal. Our
shallowness and mediocrity have us misunderstand this principle which is also called
the law of karma, and to take appearances as reality. Nothing is fortuitous or by
chance. There is a strong connection between events and what follows them. All
thoughts appear from the mind, all actions are the consequences of our thoughts, all

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are links of the chain of cause and effect. This is the secret contained in divine
spiritual law. Therefore it is necessary to train the mind in order to obtain happiness,
as this is the emotional representation of spiritual evolution. Unfortunately most
people limit their access to happiness and indulge in negative states. They abandon
themselves passively to others will, for example when using the mass media. In
this way they lose the ability to exercise their own will and allow themselves to
become manipulated. The wise and initiated man can use divine law in an intelligent
manner against the laws made by people. The superior prevails above the inferior.
The common emotion of fear is a torment which blocks knowledge and stops
evolution. Thus if we feel troubled we should freely admit our mistakes and move
forward and so remain in a calm state. Our errors impact only on us; others'
mistakes illustrate what level we are. If someone hurts us, he accumulates karma
and this does not affect us. Therefore, we should not take revenge, but should
instead ponder why we attracted that action upon us. The law of an eye for an
eye, and a tooth for a tooth, is thus nullified.

We must consider all our experiences as spiritual tests that allow us to confront our
mistakes and learn from them. If we are unsuccessful in learning from this, we
simply remain behind other advanced people that may surround us. For example, a
man who murders will be murdered in the next existence. Through his action, he
accumulates a duty towards himself. If we do not understand this, we will continue
killing and being killed life after life. It is important therefore to become conscious,
fair and honest with ourselves, to aspire to God, and to follow an upward trajectory
towards heavenly divine fruit. All events take place because of causes we know little
about; but once the mystery is solved they become natural.

The Law of Synchronicity

Everything is One and this is God The Father. This includes everything: me, you, her,
creatures, the tattva-ic elements, and so on. To realize this can only be obtained by
a supra-mental consciousness. This state of true harmony is impossible to be
reached by mere mechanical understanding. The one who achieves this awareness is
above the actions of people, beyond karma. The people who commit selfish actions
merely illustrate how they misinterpret life, because appearances are different to
reality. In order to see life as it really is, one should reach divine knowledge.

Through the Art of Blessing, Divine Consciousness is awakening in us. The person
becomes moral; he will never harm anybody or anything. Divine Consciousness
offers such mental peace that cannot be disturbed by anything; this is the most rapid
way to obtain the Supreme goal. Regarding devotion, the love of an awakened
person is greater than the love of a mother, because she feels separated from her
child whereas the wise person is one with God.

It is necessary to tenaciously practice the Art of Blessing, because we can thus reach
the Supreme Divine Reality. God is The One who transcends everything we perceive.

Cause, or Karma, can be revoked by knowledge, therefore knowledge is essential.

The reason for being reborn is simply our ignorance. However if we can annihilate
every desire, we will stop the cycle of rebirth and incarnating again.

Creation is an infinite spectrum of the underlying reality of people, things, and

phenomena; with ourselves as conscious beings superior. But the One who created
this is beyond all categories. He is transcendental because He is beyond our
capability of rational knowledge. Through the Art of Blessing, or through any other

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efficient method where the Self is revealed by relating to the Supreme
Consciousness, He lets Himself be known. When He is known, it eliminates any
suffering according to our aspiration. A drop of Divine Grace corrects every mistake,
heals every misfortune. The state in which we are freed from every desire grants us
perfect peace, complete self contentment and inner reconciliation. Through the Art of
Blessing, we reach the state of Communion with God, we get to know Him as "Sat
Chit Ananda" (ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss). It clearly gives us
the direct path and the means to reach Supreme realisation. However Gods Grace
cannot be obtained without any effort. He offers us the Art of Blessing as a direct
path to reach Him, but He can only be known by sustained individual practice.

The Law of Synchronicity and Blessing

Occasionally we feel inspired, such as when we are in "synchronicity", that is, in

harmony, and experience significant coincidences. At other times we do not feel
inspired, but rather experience turbulence and disharmony. In moments of
synchronicity, everything is fluid; favourable people, actions, and objects appear at
exactly the right time and place. This "coincidence" that seems to have come from
the world beyond can suggest the existence of "miracles". This is true even for the
smallest happenings, for example: meetings, telepathy the so-called simple
coincidences cascade, a succession of coincidences (at a superior level). For
instance- a person is passing by a phone box, the phone rings, the person answers,
the call is for her and the person who made the call dialled this number by mistake
instead of the home number!
For many, these are only extraordinary chances of fate, merely "coincidences" or
"miracles". In actual fact they illustrate profound resonance with the mysterious
forces of God. It is only our ego that prevents us from being in a state of
synchronicity all the time.

Synchronicity is evident when significant coincidences that are not related to each
other by an likely cause occur. An event is synchronous with another one when an
inner experience (for instance a dream) prepares us for an event that takes place
later in the exterior world. Wishing something passionately, we create what we
desire in another plane (sometimes even unconsciously) and we can obtain
astonishing effects. For instance, the mind has very little to do with brilliant
discoveries: rather, it is intuition that appears and the solution comes without
knowing why, as Albert Einstein confessed. The term of synchronicity (syn=with and
chronos=time) was described by Jung as the simultaneous appearance of
connections between elements, of meaningfully related events, occuring without a
unique direct cause. Science does not quite understand these phenomena and the
rational mind denies them. What connects them can only be understood by
acknowledging the essence of a mysterious timeless and causative Universe, which
produces spontaneous enlightenment.

Psychic techniques are based on synchronicity apparently, there is no connection

between the signs and what they mean. Divination is a form of synchronicity. The
law of synchronicity and the law of cause and effect are complementary. The law of
karma is the law of connections and the law of synchronicity is the law of miracles.
Understanding these fundamental laws leads to spiritual leaps in evolution.
Synchronicity connects the material world to the psychic world by symbols that are
not always understood and that appear from the collective subconscious.

When a person is spiritually elevated and wise, she benefits by having additional

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degrees of freedom, as she is no longer conditioned to live life by the usual patterns.
The law of synchronicity offers her power, and thanks to her creativity, anything is
possible (but not everything is allowed). This "freedom"
can be manifested in many ways. For instance when near a spiritual master, this
evolved disciple can be confronted with unexplainable and favourable synchronicities.

One can bless houses, places, objects, food, and situations. The Energy of the Spirit
of God can be directed to anything; deification can appear in everything. The
Blessing does not have to be preceded by Consecration, as it is about the Spirit of
God who exists in manifestation as well as outside it. Through the Art of Blessing one
activates invisible subtle forces and connects to the synchronicity field.

Key to the Art of Blessing

The Art of Blessing allows the Supreme Energy, which is beyond existence and non-
existence, to flow over the person. It derives from the Almighty sphere of the Eternal
Divine Spirit of God The Father. There is nothing in the Universe equal or above it. It
is almighty, ubiquitous, eternal, and everything in the three worlds is subordinated
to it. The person who fully acquires this technique comprehends that nothing exists
apart from God The Father. This Energy leads us to the Unique Eternal Reality, and
reveals the ultimate truth about the ultimate manifestation of the Eternal Spirit of
God to us. Even if it is feeble in the beginning, this flow of Divine Energy gradually
helps us to transcend Maya (the root of all pleasure and suffering), and so have a
pure, beneficial life. Supreme Divine Energy helps us to detach from everything that
chains us, helps us discover divine wisdom without being affected by the whirl of life,
leading us to final liberation. It teaches us that every human being is a divine
manifestation, which enables us to more intensively, and more often experience,
feelings of love, compassion, forgiveness, non-violence, and altruism. It impels us
and sustains us to irrevocably liberate from the cycle of reincarnation. It aids us in
discovering the nature of Atman. Further, it can awaken in our self endless
unconditional love, thus granting us an extraordinary inner power.

The main conditions for success in the Art of Blessing are:

a great faith in God;
a love for God;
a clear and deep understanding of the divine process that has been started;
an authentic state of humility and abnegation;
the awakening and the deepening of the state of being as a child;
the aim to increase our selflessness and to diminish our ego;
the profound understanding that the reality of God The Father is a total and
overwhelming Mystery;
the acceptance of the fact that God The Father is always present in us through
Atman;
the firm belief that if you, as a child full of humility, ask God something that is in
accordance with divine law, God will grant you what you ask;
the aspiration to surpass our ego through humility and sincere aspiration to God
The Father, because the reducing of ego is directly proportional to being able to
Commune with the Supreme Energy that is poured forth from the Almighty Spirit of
God;
to cultivate real kindness, and the power to completely forgive;
to purify ourselves internally in order to be able to rapidly transform.
Free will is a divine gift, but we have to know how to use it. Through it we are free to
do whatever we wish, although not everything is allowed. Through the Art of

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Blessing, the man who begs God is the one who proposes and soon after, God is the
One who disposes. The smaller the ego, the greater the intensity of Energy we
receive through Sahasrara during the blessing. The "answer" we receive is a way to
determine the degree of selfishness that characterizes us. It is very important not to
lie to ourselves.

The inner obstacles are:

lack of faith in God;
vanity, pride and arrogance;
lack of love, hatefulness;
vice and fornication;
weakness, a fascination with luxury;
greed and selfishness;
meanness, wickedness, sadism;
wrath, fury, violence, crime;
derisive scepticism;
the passions of envy, jealousy, gossip, slander;
laziness and apathy.

The Effects of Blessing

The Art of Blessing leads us to:

the manifestation of Divine Energy through us. This connects us to eternity, the
almighty, the sacred, divine ecstasy, spiritual freedom, the Fathers Kingdom, the
mysteries of the divine game, pure and overwhelming love, and spiritual intuition of
the existence of God;
the opening towards the state of holiness;
the belief in miracles;
an understanding of the ultimate mysteries of existence, of the living essence, of
the highest of all religions: God-ism. The Blessing is a manifestation of dialogue with
God and of our need for God; our frantic necessity for God is pleasant to Him and
represents our first step without intermediaries towards a complete religion;
the opening towards a full spiritual life;
divine wisdom;
miraculous healings;
the awakening of the soul;
the revealing of the Immortal Self, Atman a spark of God The Father;
the amplification of the beneficial psi field;
the amplification of the state of ecstasy, and due to effervescent devotional
experiences even reaching the state of samadhi;
the reaching of the state of silence;
being capable of levitation, premonition, coping with hyperthermia, in-
combustibility;
the introduction of beneficial experiences upon people near us and of harmonizing
energies upon the objects surrounding us;
the possibility of travel in time and space in the superior astral worlds;
the appearance of beneficial paranormal powers;
expansion of the horizon of knowledge, the capacity to use psychic abilities in
order to understand concepts;
transformation in invulnerable spheres, i.e. any action of aggression will not cause
a traumatic response;
the appearance of certain high spiritual states;
the experience of certain deification states in meditation;

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 relaxation, stillness of mind;
receptivity at the prithivi level through the appearance of pleasant smells (incense,
floral, exotic scents) the same thing happening at the level of other elements;
the appearance of certain spontaneous mystical states;
intuitions, premonitions, ecstasy;
healing and improved bioenergetic potential;
mysterious alchemic transformations even at the physical level;
the appearance of lucid dreams;
the acceleration of spiritual evolution.

Technique for the Art of Blessing

The steps for the technique of Blessing are listed below:

We focus on the internal, both mentally and spiritually;
We orient our attention, our soul and emotions only towards God, as the inner
attitude is essential;
We raise our right arm to the side at shoulder height, bent at the elbow so the
palm of the hand is facing out;
We focus our attention at the level of Anahata (the area in the middle of the chest)
and Sahasrara (the area on the top of the head) simultaneously. We feel a state of
elevation, of unique euphoric emotion, with countless nuances;
We say the formula of Blessing mentally in such a way as to feel it with all our
being;
Then after saying the formula and keeping the eyes closed, we orient our gaze to
become slightly cross eyed as we focus on Sahasrara;
When the Divine Energy stream starts to flow in our body, the gaze relaxes and
the eyes remain closed; simultaneously we try to perceive what is happening in us
and through us;
We become aware of how the flow of Divine Energy penetrates the top of the
head, travels downwards and floods our whole being and then a part of it flows
through our right arm into the person we are blessing. If Self-Blessing the energy
remains within. Paying as much attention as possible to the 5 stages of the
manifestation of Divine Energy, we become aware of:
- climbing to a crescendo;
- reaching a climax;
- gradually decreasing;
- ending;
- the global effects.
After these five stages are over, the arm returns to the normal position;
Nothing appears if the person we bless does not deserve it;
We cannot transmit energy to others unless we deserve to be a channel of God;
Those who do not practise yoga should focus on the areas of the chest and the top
of the head, both inside and outside the physical body;
At the end, we thank God. It is not necessary to say the prayer of thanksgiving
after each blessing, only at the end.

The effects that appear intensify in time. They are complex, multiple and remain for
days, weeks, months, and years both in the blessed one and in the one who blesses.
The Energy we receive is infinite. God always has Energy for everyone. Therefore we
can do the Blessing as often as we wish. The Blessing is more than a prayer, because
through the Blessing God grants us exactly what we need (in Self-Blessing) or what
the blessed ones need. However in prayer we can make mistakes by asking God
certain things.

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The Art of Blessing implies our free will. Only if we ask can we receive, as they say
God can bestow on us anything but he does not place it in our bag.

Recommended Posture for Blessing

The recommended position is:

Stand on your feet (both the blessed and the blessing one), with your spine
straight. Have your right arm as relaxed as possible, raised sideways and bent 20 cm
away from the shoulder. Keep your fingers open and slightly curved as for catching a
ball. You should adopt this position from the very beginning. This is the position
recommended if you do not want to touch anyone or when blessing a small group of
people who are a short distance away.
For larger groups of people (more than 50) or if the blessed one is very far away,
you should stretch your arm in front of you.
If Self-Blessing, keep your arms down near your body as normal.
If you have great vitality and your inner force is sufficiently large, you can touch
the person you are blessing with your right arm on her forehead, the open fingers
oriented towards Sahasrara, and without covering the top of her head.
It is essential that your right arm and fingers are relaxed.

If you want to bless a loved one who is far away, you should imagine her and
visualise her face. If it is a group, visualise the faces of each member of the group.
The distance in between you and the other person or group does not matter!

Words Used in Blessing

These words should be said internally when we do the Blessing:

O Lord Heavenly Father, I beg Thee with humility, if the person by the name of
(the first name is said) deserves it, bless him/her now through me, and bestow upon
him/her Your Supreme Grace. Thy Will Be Done. Amen.

Words used to bless a group of people:

O Lord Heavenly Father, I beg Thee with humility, if the people by the names of
(the first names of each person is said) deserves it, bless them now through me, and
bestow upon them Your Supreme Grace. Thy Will Be Done. Amen.

Words used for Self-Blessing:

O Lord Heavenly Father, I beg Thee with humility, if the one who is asking You
now by the name of (your first name is said) deserves it, bless him/her now
through me, and bestow upon him/her Your Supreme Grace. Thy Will Be Done.
Amen.

Thanksgiving words said at the end:

O Lord Heavenly Father, I thank Thee for making me the vessel of manifestation of
Your Supreme Grace.

These words should be learnt by heart and then used!

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Divine Revelations about Blessing

The person who practises the Art of Blessing:

1. Gradually reaches a level of child-like simplicity and purity. This entails the
elimination of everything that is useless, meaningless in life; gaining instead the
richness of a deified life.
2. Experiences in a plenary way the joy of life, an amplification of the ability to
rightly appreciate simple pleasures such as being able to enjoy a state of relaxation,
a flower, a smile, and other delights.
3. Becomes full of compassion towards all beings, experiences a state of
cohesion with everything, without despondency, spite, nor hatred. Becomes a
messenger of God for others.
4. Is full of understanding and goodwill towards others. Understands we do not
have the right to impose anything on anybody, as everyone is unique. This creates a
mysterious connection with people that is perceived through empathy.
5. Purifies all his intentions. Intuitively feels that every goal hides within itself
the real goal. At one point he realises that this fact can no longer be disguised, as he
would only dishonour himself. Thus he can succeed in changing his destiny by
transcending his karma.
6. Becomes a totally optimistic person who views life in a complete transfiguring
way. Always has the resources to appreciate and to develop life in a beneficial
manner, and be full of confidence.
7. Becomes a generous force devoted to a divine ideal. Is better able to
recognize Divine Energy and in order to transmit it to others, develops his ability of
relay.
8. Becomes completely free of prejudiced, dogmatic and rigid conceptions. Is
able to master himself more, and to have greater awareness of both situations and
people. Is mindful that any harm caused to a being is in defiance of Gods laws and
will not remain unnoticed.
9. Observes, understands and respects spontaneously the laws of nature;
contemplates everything with attention and obeys these Divine Laws.
10. Obtains a perfect sense of justice. How can one explain the instinct for justice
without God? One who practises the Art of Blessing gains intuition of Gods justice.
11. Understands all beings, especially the opposite sex, in a more intuitive
manner. For instance, when someone disturbs us, we should go deep inside
ourselves and recall this sensation from another time, since I am human and
nothing human is foreign to me. Understands we have already experienced
everything.
12. Gradually learns to distinguish 6 different spiritual stages within society:

a. First group (primary): wants to satisfy sensual pleasures;

b. Second group: believes in the existence of a mysterious superior
entity;
c. Third group: discovers that there is a strong connection between God
and consciousness;
d. Fourth group: seeks to understand how God manifests;
e. Fifth group: has reached refined spiritual sensitivity;
f. Sixth group: becomes a relay between God and Creation.
By performing the Art of Blessing everyday, we can better understand people. Thus
it will clarify how we can truly help humanity.

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Observations

Through the Art of Blessing we learn the true opinion God has about the person we
bless. Thus we can correct any absurdities we might think/feel about certain people.
The Energy is always specificlly directed to the person we bless, which shows that
God always gives us what we need. This Energy has a purifying effect, upon both the
blessed person and the medium it is channelled through. The Art of Blessing can be
used in all worlds (that is we can retain it after we leave the physical plane)
and we can use it to ask for assistance from God The Father. Sometimes we make
mistakes in prayer but never in a blessing.

The blessing changes depending if the blessed person is still in this world or not. If
the person has left this world, the words for the blessing become: ..if this person
who had the name of.. (because after leaving this world we do not keep the
same identity as in the physical plane).

In the case of repeated blessings, the effects are different from one blessing to the
other and thus we can notice the transformation produced in that person. We should
not have prejudice regarding the answer of God, as it is indescribable and
unimaginable. Due to the Blessing, the relationship between the bless-er and the
blessed persons gains a deeper intensity. The one who does the blessing is also
blessed in turn. If we desire Gods help, we can practice the Art of Blessing even
after our physical death, on the condition we do not enter the infernal worlds
because we will not deserve to practice it.

The Blessing in Unison as a Group

It is recommended to realize the Art of Blessing upon a group, or for Self Blessing,
for about 7-10 minutes at the beginning of every meeting. A person can be chosen
by a consecrated drawing of lots and asked to stand in the middle of the group.
Everybody should direct the Supreme Divine Energy towards this person. This
technique is similar to a group prayer only it is more powerful.

If there is a major problem and there is a group of 7-28 people, they should
orientate to the divine and state this issue with profound sincerity. Mobilisation of the
whole being, detachment and surrender to the Divine Will are necessary for solving
problems. A drawing of lots should be done again in order to choose a person called
the ear, who will be told all the revelations that are to follow. Meditation is the
next step for increasing creativity (that is, projections in the superior astral worlds
such as Shambala, and contact with spiritual guides). Everybody should note
attentively what has been revealed to them and will communicate this to others or
only to the ear. Every participant must make a commitment. It could be to
practice the Art of Blessing 7 times in order for divine inspiration to offer the
necessary information to improve his creativity, to become a perfect force. This
commitment must be re-activated every morning, in order to speed up the resolving
of the problem. Manifestation in the physical plane has precise laws regarding
transformation of energy from the causative plane into the physical plane, that is,
enough energy must be accumulated. If we do not keep on re-activating this
commitment, we will gradually fall back to the old level when the problem seemed
unsolvable. Practising the Art of Blessing daily, we have a dialogue with God deep
down in our being and we connect to the Energy of Divine Possibilities. Therefore our
desires can more easily manifest in the concrete domain. By applying the Art of
Blessing with as much intensity as possible, we obtain Divine Inspiration and our

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mental field becomes connected to the invisible point, although it may not appear so.
At subsequent meetings we should explain everything and draw conclusions. The aim
is to make the position we hold in this warp to appear in a clear and divinely
integrated manner.

By starting from our problem and practising the Art of Blessing in a group, we
become open towards inspiration and creativity in solving it. Thus everything
becomes clearer and we obtain the courage to truly create.

The definitive exorcism of a possessed person can even be obtained by practising the
Art of Blessing in unison as a group and with complete fasting. In the case of weak
possessions, exorcisms can be done by a single person or by self-blessings practiced
daily.

The Blessing is in essence a mysterious divine power pouring from up downwards:

this is the recognizable sign. This flow of Supreme Spiritual Energy manifests in man
in the form of a divine favour in reply to prayer performed with faith and humility.
This evokes divine assistance and guidance for this issue or for another person. The
one who blesses benefits as well, because he opens his being for the Supreme
Energy to pass through. He is actually self-blessing and is therefore helped.

Self Blessing

In the beginning when the ego is very strong, it is possible to be unsuccessful in

conducting the self-blessing. It is then necessary to bless others with humility and
faith as often as possible. Only when detachment appears by unselfishly offering aid
to others through blessings can we diminish the ego and progress spiritually. After
the necessary transformations have occurred in us, we will be able to realize the
Self-Blessing.

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