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my lower spine, by placing my hand on my third chakra, and/or by chanting a mantra. Breath-control techniques enhanced the flow of energy and guided it upward. Throughout my nine-day stay at the ashram the feeling continued. I sat about six hours a day on the temple veranda sensing that my inner experience was being guided and protected by Swami who, although out of sight, was just yards away.
In this blissful state, I am without thought. When I move awareness below this level, I see thoughts form and conflicts develop. If I am able to li myself back into a blissful state, thoughts melt away. I wonder if Swami is granting me a small inner glimpse of him in response to my yearning for an illuminated mind. Other devotees tell me that they are also experiencing an intensification of devotion and sense of inner divinity.
God is not far from you or away in some distant place. He is within you in your own inner altar. Man suffers because he is unable to discover Him there and draw peace and joy from the discovery. Once man has discovered who he is, there is no need to discover who is God, for both are the same. When you come to know God is in you, you will value yourself much more. (SSB)
I and He Are One
“Happiness is union with God,” says Swami. He also tells us that the goal of life is to merge into the supreme absolute. Previous chapters have discussed the elements that bring us into the heart of Swami. They include controlling the senses, holding close to God by saying his name, serving Him in society, and accepting the purification process. Krishna promised that if we practice this surrender we are saved from terrifying fear and we enter into the heart of God. Swami also promises to guide us beyond duality to the stage of non-duality, the realization that I and He are one.
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