THE SUPREME
Throughout history, people have sought many things, but above all we have desired two things, happiness and a perfect relationship. If we have achieved either one or both of these things, then it has been a constant struggle to keep them as usually they are merely temporary. If we want to achieve them on a permanent basis then we must look beyond the limited gains of possessions, money and fragile human relationships.
Raja Yoga has two meanings; 'Sovereign Yoga', the yoga through which I become the sovereign, the master of myself, and also the 'Supreme Union', or 'Union with the Supreme'. This second aspect of Raja Yoga involves developing a relationship with the Supreme, the source of perfection, God. Within this yoga or union I can fulfill my wish for inner happiness and my desire for a perfect relationship.
It does not even require that I first believe in God, but an openness to the idea that there may be a greater source of spiritual energy than myself is useful, which I can then verify through my own experimentation in meditation. If someone asked me, "Do you believe in the existence of Mr. X?", I would be inclined to want to meet him first before committing myself. In the circumstances I would keep an open mind. Similarly with the concept of a Supreme spiritual energy, until there is direct experience it would be unwise to commit oneself. Yet if I want to have contact with the Supreme Being then there are certain things that I must know. Firstly, I should know the form of the Supreme so that I will be able to have accurate recognition. Secondly, I need to know what 'language' to use so that there can be communication and thirdly, I need to know where our meeting can take place.
In Raja Yoga, just as we have a very precise notion of the form of the soul, so we also have a very precise notion of the form of the Supreme. In fact, the Supreme is recognised as the Supreme Soul, so He has a form identical to that of the human soul, i.e. a point source of consciousness, a spark of light-energy. When we use the word He, this is not to imply that we think of the Supreme as male. The soul itself has no gender, it is only the body that has gender. Whereas the human soul takes a body, the Supreme Soul never has a body of His own and so is neither male or female.
As God never takes human birth, He remains free from the bondage of karmic accounts. This means that He never forgets His original qualities as we do. He remains eternally peaceful, blissful and powerful. Whereas our experience of our own original qualities is limited, as when we experience a drop of peace, or a fleeting glimpse of bliss. He is eternally the unlimited ocean of virtues. He is completely full and so never needs anything. This means He is totally benevolent, ever-giving. In fact within Raja Yoga we have a particular name for the Supreme, and that is Shiv Baba. Shiv means benevolent. He is the only being who is truly altruist, whereas we normally look for something in return, even if it is only the pleasure of giving. God gives without any desire or expectation of return. Baba is a sweet and familiar name for father, thus Shiv Baba is the benevolent father.
The reason Father is used is because of the concept of the father giving an inheritance to the children. Here the inheritance received is peace, love, knowledge and happiness. But the Supreme is also the Mother, or the Friend or the Beloved, in fact whatever relationship or positive role I wish to see Him in, I can, because He is the unlimited source of all qualities, both male and female. So whatever the situation I always have a source of help and strength to draw on, a source that is only a thought away.
How can I communicate with this being? Meditation is about experiencing myself, experiencing my own qualities. I create peaceful thoughts in order to experience peace but the more I absorb myself in that peace, the fewer thoughts I need. The communication with the Supreme is also on this level.
I come to know Him through the experiences that I have of His qualities. I begin to feel those qualities wash over me. So my communication with God is primarily through silent experience. In deep silence I can lose myself in the ocean of peace and with this experience I feel refreshed. I begin to understand my own qualities and specialities more deeply and this brings confidence. I take power which enables me to maintain a peaceful stage whilst going about my daily life.
I also need to know where to find Him. When I sit in meditation and go deep within myself, then a feeling of stillness comes over me. If I stay in that silence, my experience is that I am sitting in an unchanging world, a timeless world. Yet this physical world is ever-changing. If my consciousness is tied to the physical, I can never get away from the passage of time. So it is as though I have taken my consciousness beyond this world to another world. We call this place the soul world; the original home of the soul. It is a timeless world of silence and still ness, full of peace and power, a world of infinite golden-red light. This is also the home of the Supreme Soul and if I take myself there I can begin to experience His unlimited qualities of peace, love, purity, bliss and power washing over me. Through this most perfect of all relationships, I take power and guidance so that I can clear my karmic debts of the past and create a peaceful, happy and stable future for myself.
Meditation Practice
Sitting in a quiet and relaxed atmosphere, slowly read over the following thoughts about the relationships we can have with the Supreme.
Thoughts for Meditation
When I meet the Supreme in the land beyond sound and movement, the only things that exist are the feelings in my heart....It is my open heart that God reads and He knows what it is I truly desire and then He fulfills that need....What I need is honesty, cleanliness and clarity in my own mind to be able to fully enjoy this meeting with my Supreme Father...Baba....Baba fulfills my deepest needs and wishes in many ways through many relationships...As the Father, God gives me love and understanding....As His child, I have the spiritual birthright to His inheritance, the unlimited treasure store of all His perfect virtues and powers....! can also experience the sweetness and comfort of God as the Mother, in whose lap the soul can rest in tenderness and care....As my Friend I can share all my thoughts and hopes with Baba, or even my doubts and problems, for there is nothing to hide from a true friend....I can enjoy a heart to heart conversation at any time I wish, in any place...Baba the Friend is always there...
As the Teacher, each day God fills me with truth....He has an answer for every question, advice for every need, revealing to the self all the secrets of time and eternity, unravelling the mysteries of creation, so that the meaning of life becomes so clear...for in God I have found the perfect teacher, the source of truth.... And Baba is also my Liberator and Guide who frees the self from all sorrows and suffering...guiding me along the path to freedom and happiness...And as my one Beloved, Baba is the comforter of my heart...With Baba as my Beloved, the search for true love ends and the experience of contentment and completeness begins...
If I experience all these relationships with God, He will provide me with everything I need...fulfilling all my pure desires and dreams....The seed of all these relationships is love, for behind every thought and action of His is pure love and the wish to only bring benefit to the soul to uplift and purify me. God's love is unlimited and endless...it sweeps me and the whole world along with it back to perfection.
Raja Yoga - Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
