Yogis in Dialogue Create Unity

When I was young, I ran away from home to be with the Himalayas.

 

At that time, the mountains summoned me. Like a soothing Mother, the mountains spoke to me; I heard them say, “Come beloved child.  Be here!”  Happily, I surrendered to this calling with my whole being and ran straight to the lap of the Himalayas.

 

Seems only moments passed.  She whispered sacred teachings to me; and I received as would a child receive mother’s milk.  I was prepared to spend the rest of my life in this cozy lap.

 

Then suddenly, and to my surprise, the Himalayas said, “Now, go!”

 

As Her child, I resisted. I refused to leave the Mother.

 

Somehow living as a mountain recluse was not my destined path, and I had to return to my birth family. But there remained a deep calling; the mountains reassured me, as if to say, “Bring these mountains with you wherever you go. Make the world your cave. Go to the world, but return home to the mountains as often as you wish. You have been blessed a messenger; you are impregnated with teachings. Your job is to give birth to a great conversation.  You shall turn sacred the wild, worldly dust. Most important, keep the dialogue going between the modern world and the ancient mountains. Gather seekers who are longing. Guide them to feel called and welcome here.”

Since then, I have been blessed to guide yatras to the Himalayas.  We go to the mountains to bow.  Two years ago, we journeyed to the Himalayas on a Yatra to Hemkunth Sahib, the abode of Rishi Dushta Daman.

At a very sacred bridge the Bhim Pulh, the Bridge of Bhima, we passed through a vortex that only opens for those who have been initiated into the Dharma.

 

 

We had entered the realm of the Shrine of Rishi Ved Vyas. Rishi Ved Vyas was the great sage who downloaded all the ancient yogic wisdom from the Akashic records.  With Ganesha — the remover of obstacles — as his trusted stenographer, Ved Vyas penned down wisdom, bringing it into form and structure so that the realm-of-time-and-space can remain in sacred dialogue with the Realm Beyond.  This became the Vedic tradition.

Now, our Hemkunt yatra group had entered a sacred experience here that is beyond all time and space.  Near the shrine, we noticed a cave.  Once again, I felt summoned.

In this cave, a yogi sat alone.

Graciously, he invited me and the yatra group into his cave. In moments that seemed to stretch for an eternity, we enjoyed one another’s presence in this cave.

Here, a space opened up for this yogi and I to engage in a profound heart to heart conversation.  Now, this kind of conversation is called Gosti in Gurmukhi, which translates to Conscious Sacred Exchange.  Such an exchange is characterized by short, meaningful phrases, silence, and gestures.  It is a communication of the highest dignity in that it crystalizes universal unity consciousness.

 

In this conversation, every word, pause, and gesture is expressed in the now; so, all expression blooms as a call and response that is nearly simultaneous.  Every moment of the exchange is here and now.  It is a deeply mystical exchange in that it carries profound wisdom of both the ancient past and distant future in the here now.

Such a yogic dialogue is bestowed and flows only in the right time and space; the only condition is reverence — reverence is adab in Gurmukhi.

Really, dialogue is too dualistic a word to use for Gosti because in this conversation, the two sharing the “dialogue” become one.  A better word might be uni-logue if the English language had such a word …  Even the English word ‘monologue’ does not work here because this is an expression of the Universe, not the individuated self.

This short exchange of words, silences, and gestures is compact in as few as 6 moments.  However, contained within this short exchange exists all the wisdom of the 6 philosophical orders of the yogic teachings.

Here is the Gosti we shared:

1. We held one another’s gaze and instantly recognized our connection: I wear the saffron robes, carrying the color of the sun.  This yogi wears ashes, carrying the color of the moon. Recognizing we are connected as sun and moon brought big smiles to our faces. With great joy, he sang out in Hindi, “Yogi ko Yogi Meleh!” A Yogi meets a Yogi.

2. Welcomed so, I replied by consciously proceeding into his sacred cave.  I placed my right foot into his cave first, as the right foot is the foot of Dharma.  As he noticed I did so, he rose to his feet and folded his hands the same time I folded my hands into Anjali Mudra, the lotus seal.  Two hands represent duality, but Anajali Mudra brings all duality together into union — the negative and positive mind come to neutral, and the sun and moon energies of the body come to one.  We bowed to each other simultaneously, and greeted each other in unison with the Himalayan Yogic greeting: “Matha Tekda Maharaj!” Oh sage, I bow to you!

 

3. Next, he invited me to sit next to his yogic seat. He said in Hindi, “Bhaout Kripa ke aphne.” Thank you for coming and blessing.  Offering the seat is a gesture that carried with it every welcome, every blessing, and every gratitude of all creatures in cordiality. Here is awareness of every expression of giving and receiving hospitality throughout eternity. Here is awareness of every being sharing and deeply cherishing one another’s presence.

4. As I sat on the seat, he asked, “Aph kis Gurpranali se dikshat ho?” Which lineage are you initiated into? He asked my lineage, Gurpranali it is called. The Gurpranali is the lineage to which you have gifted your heart.

This question contained the essence of the Yogic teachings. In the Himalayan yogic teachings, one is known only through a lineage, not as his individual self. I repeat: the Himalayan tradition recognizes you only through your Gurpranli, not as an individual.  In fact, there is no individual self on this path.   On this path, only the divine through the master speaks through you, and that is what you convey.  Only the Guru exists; the small psychological self died ages ago.

This is a path of total surrender to the one who has sparked the fire of wisdom within. The Himalayan sages teach that one has to be initiated into Dharma through a lineage, without this initiation, a being is seen as an Orphan in the spiritual world.  One only comes into the shelter after one is initiated into the Dharma.

 

5. With a smile on my face and mentally bowing to the question, I replied, “Guru Nanak Sut, Baba Sri Chand ke Udasin Gurpranli Se Dikshat Hun Ji Maharaj.” Guru Nanak’s beloved son, Baba Sri Chand’s Udasin lineage into it I am initiated, oh dear one!

6. Hearing the name of the ageless yogi, Baba Sri Chand, a wide smile came on his face. He removed his inner shawl and took out a pendent of Baba Sri Chand that he showed to me as he said, “Hum Bhi Udasin Pranali sey Hai” I am also an Udasin; this is my lineage, too.  Together, we laughed. We held hands as two brothers on the path.

One yogi made the Himalayas his world; one yogi brought the Himalayas into the world. Both yogis are Naadi Putras, children born through the word of the Guru and spreading the Dharma of the Guru in their own unique way.

 

 

It is said that Baba Sri Chand is the protector of all Yogis, and it makes no difference if the cave is the yogi’s world, or the world is the yogi’s cave.

Our dialogue created unity. What needed to be said was said. What needed to be replied was replied. All was for the purpose of exchanging sacred dialogue that creates unity.

We both bowed to the Gurpranali from which we have sprouted and all the masters that carried the Dharma and thanking them for giving us the shelter in its fold. In the words of the Himalayan masters, I bow to all those who have walked the path of the Dharma.

With Joy in my heart and both hands united above my head, I sealed our Gosti. I called out a Jaikara, a glory proclamation of Baba Sri Chand: “Bolh Bhagvan Sri Chander Maharaj Ke Jai,” may all sing the glories of the great Baba Sri Chand.  All those present joined us and chanted along with us as one.

With this exchange of statements between a yogi and a yogi in the cave of the Himlayas, the womb of Yogic teachings, the essence of the 6 philosiphical orders of yogic lineage; Khat Darshan its called, the Gosti was complete.

 

 

Iti Sampuranam

This completes the dialogue.

 

We go our separate ways, vibrating unity.

 

 

 

Sat Naam!

Watch this video of the Mystical Hemkunt

Journey with Yogi Amandeep 2016