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Articles from santosh krinsky | Selfgrowth.com
- Hidden Powers in Life and Yoga - by Submitted on Apr 11, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is an interesting contradiction in the way humanity deals with unseen, or invisible forces at work. We believe wholeheartedly nowadays in gravity, electricity, wireless communications, magnetic transportation vehicles, and, despite the fact that all of these represent invisible forces, we ...
Views: 704 - Conditions for Preparation for the Supramental Change, Part 1 - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe practice of the integral Yoga does not rely on prowess of physical postures (asanas) or breathing techniques (pranayama) or external rituals or practices. It is focused on creating the right internal ‘landscape’ in the psychology in order to achieve specific psychological asanas, so to ...
Views: 701 - Fear Is Based in the Limitations of Ignorance and Unconsciousness - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2022 from santosh krinskyIn The Life Divine, Sri Aurobindo describes the sevenhold ignorance which limits the human being. We live in a world about which we know very little, and we lack a complete understanding of the significance of our lives, the meaning of existence, or the processes of Time. As a result, we act as ...
Views: 701 - Save the Oceans to Save the Planet, Part 3: A Framework for Implementation - by Submitted on Aug 08, 2020 from santosh krinskySave the Oceans to Save the Planet, Part 3: A Framework for Implementation As we have seen in the first two parts of this series, an existential crisis is facing, not only humanity, but the entire world. We have explored a number of aspects of this crisis and begun to understand the various ...
Views: 701 - Invisible Forces in Our Lives and in Our Evolutionary Growth - by Submitted on Apr 10, 2021 from santosh krinskyWe do not consider, for the most part, the reliance we have for all things in our lives in the world, upon invisible forces that are at work. We basically take these things for granted, give them names and treat them as a reality that we do not have to think about or reflect upon. No one can ...
Views: 700 - Understanding the Various Causes of Visions of Deities, Saints and Sages - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe transcription of inner events and experiences into our mental framework will generally utilize symbols, images and personalities which fit into our background, education, and experience, so as to build a link and acceptance through use of familiar images. We frequently find recounted the ...
Views: 700 - Specific Incarnations of Gods and Their Powers in the Hindu Tradition - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn spiritual and religious traditions around the world, we see a proliferation of names and personalities of God. This has engendered much confusion for people who talk about monotheism versus polytheism. When one looks deeper into the question, however, it becomes clear that in most cases, ...
Views: 699 - Spiritual Humility - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe quality of humility is important to keep the ego in check, but even here, the ego finds ways to create an artificial form of humility that actually reinforces the ego. Those following an inspiring leader, or treading a path that provides true spiritual experience may use their position to ...
Views: 698 - The Need to Balance Meditation and Work in the Practice of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2023 from santosh krinskyIn an ancient Upanishadic tale, a youth approached a sage requesting to become a disciple and achieve spiritual realisation. The sage indicated that he should take two cattle into the forest, and when they numbered 1000 he should return and would undertake to teach the youth. The young man made ...
Views: 697 - The Role and Destiny of the Body - by Submitted on Mar 07, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe physical body has provided spiritual seekers with a riddle and a challenge throughout time and across the globe. For those focused on the external life there is no question. They enjoy, they develop the capacities of the body, they do not think twice about it, other than to the extent that ...
Views: 697 - The Nature of Karma Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 26, 2023 from santosh krinskyIt is a common conception, and a tempting one, to expect that by taking up a certain type of charitable work, or even service to support a particular religion or spiritual path, one is practicing a form of karma yoga. All of these things may have enormous benefit in the outer world, and may ...
Views: 695 - Conditions for Preparation for the Supramental Change, Part 2 - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2021 from santosh krinskyOnce the psychic being is in front and directing the aspiration, focus and receptivity of the being to the action of the Divine Force, it is necessary to maintain the correct psychological posture, which implies not allowing either rajasic or tamasic energies to dominate the effort, avoiding ...
Views: 694 - How to Deal With Anger and Other Strong Vital Reactions - by Submitted on Jul 04, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere is an idea, prevalent in some aspects of Western psychology, both mainstream and ‘pop’ psychology, that it is unhealthy to internalize and hold in strong reactions or emotions such as anger. They counsel letting it out and thereby saving oneself from the psychological and physical effects ...
Views: 694 - The Development and Use of Occult Powers and the Spiritual Quest - by Submitted on Aug 19, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe lure of occult powers represents one of the temptations to be faced by the spiritual seeker who begins to access the inner and higher realms of consciousness. These powers may be developed through systematic efforts, following the protocols and laws of action under which these powers exist. ...
Views: 694 - The Jivatman and the Psychic Being: the Central Being of Man - by Submitted on Mar 13, 2021 from santosh krinskyIs there a purpose or significance to life and the evolution of consciousness? Who is responsible for this process, and how does it take place within the complexity of a unified whole that has innumerable constituent elements interacting with one another to create the world we live in and the ...
Views: 694 - Judging Others - by Submitted on Feb 25, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe surface being, under the influence of the vital ego, loves to criticize others and ‘gossip’ about them. This is a method of ‘puffing up’ or inflating the ego by dragging down others. It also wastes considerable time and energy by focusing on what are for the most part superficial things in a ...
Views: 692 - The Aim of the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 20, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe aim of spiritual seeking and yoga, historically, has been the liberation of the individual seeker and achievement of enlightenment. In many cases, this has involved making a choice between living “in the world” or abandoning the worldly life. Some traditions, such as the Buddhist Mahayana ...
Views: 692 - The Ladder of Consciousness Above the Mind - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2021 from santosh krinskyIt is difficult, if not impossible, for the mental awareness to understand experiences of consciousness outside of the mind’s normal ranges of operation. Just as we now recognise that our visual perceptions are framed within a range, and that other beings can actually see things we cannot see, ...
Views: 691 - Art as a Dedicated Expression of the Divine - by Submitted on Mar 22, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe object of creative expression through art is of primary importance to the spiritual seeker. As long as art is used as a way to enhance the vital ego, achieve recognition, fame, wealth, it has little, if any, value for spiritual practice. These objectives, in and of themselves, are part of ...
Views: 690 - The Power of Imagination in Shaping Life - by Submitted on Aug 13, 2022 from santosh krinskyWhile many people discount the value of imagination, pigeon-holing it into the realm of the creative arts, without much impact on their lives, an ever-expanding number of people are realizing the tremendous power that imagination holds in shaping one’s life and future. Pre-eminent geniuses such ...
Views: 690 - Distinguishing Concentration and Meditation from One Another - by Submitted on Feb 20, 2023 from santosh krinskyIf we observe the mental status that takes place at times when we focus on achieving some objective or other, taking a test, working on a project, running a race, playing music, or creating some work of art, for example, we see that the attention is focused intensely on the task at hand, and ...
Views: 689 - Spiritual Experiences and Transformation of the Nature - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe vital nature is always interested in, even fixated on, the idea of having dramatic ‘spiritual experiences’. These experiences can open the eyes of the seeker to a wider reality, and can help reorient the direction of the life, sometimes in unusual or unexpected ways. There are many instances ...
Views: 689 - A Transitional Phase of Work in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jun 04, 2021 from santosh krinskyFor the practitioner of the integral yoga, any form of work represents an opportunity to discard the normal, habitual mode of action and replace it with the direct action of the Divine Force. This transition, however, is neither immediate nor completed all at once, so there is inevitably a phase ...
Views: 688 - Impact of the Supramental Manifestation on Earthly Existence, Part 2 - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere is a verse in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad which illustrates the essential principle of an evolutionary cycle of the development and growth of consciousness, when it indicates a progression ‘from the darkness to the light, from light to greater light.” The Upanishad foresees that ...
Views: 688 - Mind ... and Supermind - by Submitted on Mar 20, 2021 from santosh krinskyOr, we may describe this as the parable of the caterpillar and the butterfly. The mind is like the caterpillar, slowly grinding its way along, eating and focusing on its physical being and its circumstances for gaining sustenance. It does not dream that one day it will be transformed into a ...
Views: 688 - Solving the Existential Crisis of Humanity Through the Evolution of Consciousness with Practical Applications - by Submitted on Aug 09, 2022 from santosh krinskySantosh Krinsky gave this talk to outline both the existential crisis we are facing in the world today, tying together numerous different symptoms into a view of the larger issues we are facing, as well as the causative factors and the direction for solving this crisis through the development of ...
Views: 688 - The Existence of Mental, Vital and Physical Planes of Existence Independent of the Material World - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2021 from santosh krinskyWhere do life and mind come from in the material world? How does inanimate Matter become the basis out of which life evolves? Western science, at a loss as to this process, simply has speculated that given enough time, the chemical/electrical interaction of material forces will spawn life and ...
Views: 688 - Yogic Concentration - by Submitted on Feb 21, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe power of concentration is well-known. It is a power that we utilize daily to accomplish the various tasks set before us, or to achieve some goal that we have set for ourselves. In yoga, also, the power of concentration is required. The focus and intention behind the concentration is the ...
Views: 688 - Evolution of Consciousness, Rebirth and Overcoming Suffering - by Submitted on Mar 02, 2022 from santosh krinskyThere are many ideas about rebirth, how it works, and the relationship of suffering to an individual’s life and, through operation of karma, potential future lifetimes. Much of this is based on an underlying implicit assumption that the self-awareness that an individual holds in this lifetime ...
Views: 687 - The Fundamental Nature of Existence is Consciousness - by Submitted on Feb 22, 2021 from santosh krinskyAs we reflect on our own existence, and our relationship to the world around us, we begin by referencing everything to our own desires, needs, wants and feelings. We look at the world as external to us, inanimate matter somehow sustaining plant and animal life. The sun appears to revolve around ...
Views: 687 - The Limitations of the Intellect in Grasping the Supreme Truth of Existence - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2021 from santosh krinskyNo matter how highly develop and powerful the intellect is, at some point it reaches the limits of its power and acknowledges that all of its activity is limited within a frame that prevents it from knowing anything with certainty. The intellect builds steps of logic based on various assumptions ...
Views: 686 - Hostile Forces and Their Impact on Spiritual Development - by Submitted on Dec 07, 2021 from santosh krinskyThere are legends in major traditions about opposing and actively hostile beings who attempt to disrupt the spiritual evolution. Buddha was tempted by Mara. Jesus was tempted by the Devil. The Buddha and Jesus had to overcome the pressures of these beings in order to carry out their evolutionary ...
Views: 685 - Primary Functions and Powers of the Major Chakras in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2021 from santosh krinskyPractitioners of yoga are generally familiar with the usual definitions of the chakras, their forms, colors and major operative powers when they open. In the integral yoga, where evolutionary planes of consciousness are recognised, Sri Aurobindo has expanded the definitions and understanding of ...
Views: 685 - Spirituality and Occultism - by Submitted on Aug 15, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe lure of occult powers and experiences can be a considerable obstacle for the spiritual seeker who becomes enmeshed in the idea of developing these capacities. There is a reason why traditional paths of spiritual development eschew the use of the occult powers that arise naturally as one goes ...
Views: 685 - A Change of the Outer Nature Requires First a Change in the Inner Being - by Submitted on Jul 20, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe physical body (actually the entire material world) is subject to habits, and change tends to come slowly. Our being, however, is made up of a series of sheaths which progress from the subtle to the gross physical and thus, any attempt to make a change to the more outward sheaths, the ...
Views: 684 - A Transitional Phase of Work in the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Jun 04, 2021 from santosh krinskyFor the practitioner of the integral yoga, any form of work represents an opportunity to discard the normal, habitual mode of action and replace it with the direct action of the Divine Force. This transition, however, is neither immediate nor completed all at once, so there is inevitably a phase ...
Views: 683 - Save the Oceans to Save the Planet, Part 2: Developing Solutions - by Submitted on Aug 08, 2020 from santosh krinskySave the Oceans to Save the Planet: Part 2 Developing Solutions In part 1 we provided an overview of the existential crisis facing the oceans, and by extension, the survival and the quality of life of humanity and other life on the planet due to the challenges to which the oceans are being ...
Views: 683 - The Tantra and the Integral Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 15, 2021 from santosh krinskyThe Tantric tradition has developed a methodology (frequently and widely misunderstood and misapplied), to bring about the opening of the subtle energy centers, called chakras, that reside within our energetic body and control the various functionality of powers of body, life and mind within our ...
Views: 682 - Work, Meditation and Devotion are Three Pillars of Yogic Development - by Submitted on Jun 11, 2021 from santosh krinskyEvery individual has a unique set of current capacities, difficulties and predilections in the nature. Spiritual growth therefore is not “one size fits all”. Some have a strongly developed mental power, others a vibrant emotional being, and still others have an active vital nature and / or ...
Views: 682 - A Balanced Approach to Dealing with Illness and the Health of the Body for the Yogic Practitioner - by Submitted on Jan 31, 2022 from santosh krinskyThe traditional Western approach to health and well-being sees the human body as under attack and health is a matter for defense and counter-attack against the causes of illness in the form of bacteria and viruses. In cases where the process of illness or deterioration of the capacities of the ...
Views: 681 - The Need to Transcend the Intellect in the Search for the Truth of Existence - by Submitted on Feb 07, 2021 from santosh krinskyOnce we acknowledge that Truth cannot be ascertained through intellectual prowess alone, that the mind is not an instrument of truth, but rather an instrument for seeking, filled with doubt, confusion and limitation, we can no longer rely entirely on the mind to be the arbiter of what reality ...
Views: 681 - The Respective Roles of the Jivatman and the Psychic Being - by Submitted on Mar 14, 2021 from santosh krinskyIn the Taittiriya Upanishad, a seeker successively realises the basis of existence, first in the physical sheath, then in the vital or life sheath, and then in the mental sheath, before exceeding each of these as the progression of his realisation went beyond the mind into the “knowledge” and ...
Views: 681 - The Transformation of the Sex Centre and Its Energy - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2022 from santosh krinskyFor the practitioner of the integral Yoga, energy is utilized to redirect and shift the standpoint away from the ego-personality into the divine standpoint, and then to effectuate actions to carry out the divine manifestation in the world. Energy dedicated to the enhancement or satisfactions of ...
Views: 681 - The Integral Path Combines the Vedantic and the Tantric Approaches to Divine Realisation - by Submitted on Feb 14, 2021 from santosh krinskyAt a certain point we come to the conclusion that our minds cannot finally determine the truth or the meaning of our existence. We recognise that many of our daily perceptions and assumptions about the world and, in fact, all of existence, are simply inaccurate. We see the sun rise in the East ...
Views: 680 - The Integral Way to the Truth of Existence - by Submitted on Feb 08, 2021 from santosh krinskyIt is not through the power of mind that one achieves knowledge of the truth of existence. The frame within which the mind operates, and the methodology that it utilizes, simply cannot appreciate, nor understand, those aspects of existence which fall outside of its direct scope or which exceed ...
Views: 680 - The Cure for Inner Loneliness - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2022 from santosh krinskyHuman beings are social animals, and they crave contact and relationship with others. Modern society has broken or weakened many of the links that formerly brought people together, including the nuclear and extended family, and tight-knit communities where people socialized and interacted with ...
Views: 678 - Overcoming the Impulse to Anger - by Submitted on Jul 06, 2022 from santosh krinskyMost people believe that both the impulse of desire and the impulse to anger are both inherent, deeply established reactions that are either completely impossible, or virtually impossible, to overcome and remove from one’s life. They say that one may succeed in controlling outer expressions of ...
Views: 677 - The Value and Rationale for the Yoga of Works — Karma Yoga - by Submitted on Feb 24, 2023 from santosh krinskyThe vital nature of man is a core existential element of our existence. In the past, those who took up serious spiritual practice frequently recognised both the power of the vital and the difficulty of bringing it under some kind of managed and focused control, and thus, they attempted to ...
Views: 677 - Supraphysical Sensory Experience: Latent Powers, Not Miracles or Delusions - by Submitted on Aug 16, 2021 from santosh krinskyIt is human nature to want to be able to explain away events, circumstances or experiences that are not understood. For much of human existence, the rising and setting of the sun and moon, the existence of the stars, the power of the oceans, the wind or the storms were described as actions of ...
Views: 676 - The Self — the Atman and Individual Liberation - by Submitted on Jul 31, 2021 from santosh krinskyOne of the primary objectives of traditional paths of yoga has been the liberation from the bondage of the world of illusion, the phantasmagoria of the creation and the individual’s fixation on success and failure, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, happiness and despair that occurs as a result ...
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