Cyrus Ryan's Blog, page 2
November 12, 2020
Our online classes continue, and here's an excerpt of a recent discussion:
Tapas
[Jordan] Is tapas the same as the effort of the fakir?
[Cyrus] Tapas is different from the prolonged effort of the fakir, because tapas are done for short periods, whereas the fakir would continue the same physical discipline for years. Tapas could, when you are very advanced, be longer. For instance, if you read my book, "Living on the Inner Edge", the chapter “The Ordeal”, my Teacher spent 8 years in battle. That was like an enormous tapas, but he had no choice. He was always under extreme, intense pressure; he could not let up or he would die. But his situation was very unusual, and as he pointed out to us, this is his path he has to do it. It was an initiation period, full soul awakening through this effort, and he reach an advanced level of ‘mantra-shakti’.
[Steph] What is Tapas?
[Cyrus] What happens when you squeeze a bellows onto a small fire?
[Steph] It becomes big.
[Cyrus] Yes, it intensifies it. That is what tapas does, but it intensifies the inner flame.
For instance, for all of you guys who have difficulty sitting cross-legged, a small tapas would be before the full moon period, do two meditations each day sitting cross-legged, and don’t move for the entire meditation. No matter how much pain you experience, you don’t move. That would be a tapas, because you would have to detach from the pain. The transference of energy would go into your essence. The problem is if you do it too long, it goes into the personality, it becomes a way of life, you adjust to it and it becomes mechanical. Doing this during the full moon just intensifies it.
There are rules with tapas. First rule of tapas is you cannot fail, you cannot quit, it must be completed. You should never give yourself a tapas that is too difficult or too easy. Thus, generally it is the teacher who gives the tapas.
Yogis did tapas to accelerate their enlightenment. The problem is if you start a tapas, inwardly declare, offer it to the Master, and if you fail, instead of the essence getting greater, the personality gets bigger. Instead you build up the lunar aspect, not the solar of soul aspect. You have to be successful, and overcome all the inner voices of doubt, confusion, or misgivings. This also help to stabilize you in a spiritual sense. Do some sort of tapas during the full and new moon periods is extremely helpful to accelerate one's progress.
[Jordan] Is tapas the same as the effort of the fakir?
[Cyrus] Tapas is different from the prolonged effort of the fakir, because tapas are done for short periods, whereas the fakir would continue the same physical discipline for years. Tapas could, when you are very advanced, be longer. For instance, if you read my book, "Living on the Inner Edge", the chapter “The Ordeal”, my Teacher spent 8 years in battle. That was like an enormous tapas, but he had no choice. He was always under extreme, intense pressure; he could not let up or he would die. But his situation was very unusual, and as he pointed out to us, this is his path he has to do it. It was an initiation period, full soul awakening through this effort, and he reach an advanced level of ‘mantra-shakti’.
[Steph] What is Tapas?
[Cyrus] What happens when you squeeze a bellows onto a small fire?
[Steph] It becomes big.
[Cyrus] Yes, it intensifies it. That is what tapas does, but it intensifies the inner flame.
For instance, for all of you guys who have difficulty sitting cross-legged, a small tapas would be before the full moon period, do two meditations each day sitting cross-legged, and don’t move for the entire meditation. No matter how much pain you experience, you don’t move. That would be a tapas, because you would have to detach from the pain. The transference of energy would go into your essence. The problem is if you do it too long, it goes into the personality, it becomes a way of life, you adjust to it and it becomes mechanical. Doing this during the full moon just intensifies it.
There are rules with tapas. First rule of tapas is you cannot fail, you cannot quit, it must be completed. You should never give yourself a tapas that is too difficult or too easy. Thus, generally it is the teacher who gives the tapas.
Yogis did tapas to accelerate their enlightenment. The problem is if you start a tapas, inwardly declare, offer it to the Master, and if you fail, instead of the essence getting greater, the personality gets bigger. Instead you build up the lunar aspect, not the solar of soul aspect. You have to be successful, and overcome all the inner voices of doubt, confusion, or misgivings. This also help to stabilize you in a spiritual sense. Do some sort of tapas during the full and new moon periods is extremely helpful to accelerate one's progress.
November 3, 2020
Entering the Path
In the Vedas, the root philosophy of ancient India, there was a discipline called ‘neti- neti’, which means,” not this, not that”. When you connect with your center of awareness which is like a center of gravity then you can see the steady stream of thoughts that constantly arise flowing across the horizon of your awareness, you see your feelings arise reacting to the thoughts. Then from this awakening point of conscious tension you can say, I am not my thoughts or feelings, – ‘not this, not that’. Then try to feel that you are a “point of light within the greater light”, let it become a momentary reality for you. This is just the beginning. It is the doorway to the Path. This is when you pull back into your ‘real self’, the unconditioned self the “Essential Nature”. In Yoga this is ‘pratyahara’ the first inner yoga of the Astanga Yoga as outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Pratyahara, or centering has to be accomplished first, creating a center of gravity, a point where your awareness is focused, a point of tension. The next step is dharana or concentration before reaching dhyana or meditation as outlined in the Yoga Sutras. Meditation in the real sense is not just sitting still in ‘padma asana’ watching your breath or visualizing rainbows. Esoteric meditation is an intense, active effort.
October 28, 2020
A Great Review!
"Living on the Inner Edge"...on Net Gallery by Dawn Thomas...time to get your copy now!..............
This is a memoir written in the first person. The author discusses his travels and religious experiences. It shows his growth and journey along his path and takes place over many years. He also gives examples of situations other group members go through along with the Masters. The esoteric material is deep and thought provoking. There were several statements that resonated with me: “When you start to search for the Path, it means that the Essential Nature is stirring or awakening. It also indicates that the Soul, on its own plane, is trying to extend an invisible hand to guide the personality.” (Kindle location 205) “So the Essential Nature when it awakens is like a newborn baby. Babies cannot just get up and walk, talk, and do things. This is the state of the Essential Nature of most aspirants.” (Kindle location 223)
“Mantra is like an esoteric communication device. Just like when you use a push button phone, each number has a note designated by a beep. Hitting a certain number of a series of numbers creates a pattern of sounds. If you’ve keyed in the correct pattern of numbers, then you will shortly be connected to another person whose contact number corresponds to those numbers that were typed in on the phone. Thus the use of a mantra is to contact or invoke a deity that corresponds to a particular mantra.” (Kindle location 1717)
This is a memoir written in the first person. The author discusses his travels and religious experiences. It shows his growth and journey along his path and takes place over many years. He also gives examples of situations other group members go through along with the Masters. The esoteric material is deep and thought provoking. There were several statements that resonated with me: “When you start to search for the Path, it means that the Essential Nature is stirring or awakening. It also indicates that the Soul, on its own plane, is trying to extend an invisible hand to guide the personality.” (Kindle location 205) “So the Essential Nature when it awakens is like a newborn baby. Babies cannot just get up and walk, talk, and do things. This is the state of the Essential Nature of most aspirants.” (Kindle location 223)
“Mantra is like an esoteric communication device. Just like when you use a push button phone, each number has a note designated by a beep. Hitting a certain number of a series of numbers creates a pattern of sounds. If you’ve keyed in the correct pattern of numbers, then you will shortly be connected to another person whose contact number corresponds to those numbers that were typed in on the phone. Thus the use of a mantra is to contact or invoke a deity that corresponds to a particular mantra.” (Kindle location 1717)
October 21, 2020
Tibet's Great Yogi
In light of the present pandemic of corona virus, this story may be of interest. This story dates from sometime in the 11th century when there was a local plague somewhere on the borders of Tibet and Nepal. (This story, abbreviated/edited by me, was initially passed on orally, then carved and printed from woodblocks, and eventually translated into English by Garma C.C. Chang in 1962).
"It was in the autumn of the year of the Wooden Horse, while the 24th Constellation was declining, that the inhabitants of Dinma Drin were afflicted with white and black smallpox, and with vomiting of blood, dizziness, fever, and many other severe and contagious diseases. Many livestock and human beings had died.
On the left slope of the Queen of the Azure Heights Snow Mountain, stood a white silk tent with a golden covering. In this tent lay a beautiful girl, wrapped in many bed-coverings, and with a long tassel, which almost reached the ground, in her hair. Her eyes were flame-colored as if she had a fever.
She told the Jetsun, who had been summoned and just arrived, she told him,"Last summer some shepherds came and lit a big fire near here. I was caught in the flaming smoke, which made me very sick at the time. Since last autumn I had not been feeling at all well, and today I feel extremely ill. The vapors from our mouths have caused many people in this area to contract many diseases." The Jestsun thought, that's why so many people have caught the pestilence. (The beautiful woman in this story is non-human, of the lower deva evolution, a magical earth-bound spirit.
So the pollution caused her
sickness...thus these toxic vapors flowed out, as she said...with these particular devas, if one is ill, it affects them all..so these vapors from their mouths is from many, not just the one in the story...In this case she is their queen.) You can find this story, "The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, pg.333.
"It was in the autumn of the year of the Wooden Horse, while the 24th Constellation was declining, that the inhabitants of Dinma Drin were afflicted with white and black smallpox, and with vomiting of blood, dizziness, fever, and many other severe and contagious diseases. Many livestock and human beings had died.
On the left slope of the Queen of the Azure Heights Snow Mountain, stood a white silk tent with a golden covering. In this tent lay a beautiful girl, wrapped in many bed-coverings, and with a long tassel, which almost reached the ground, in her hair. Her eyes were flame-colored as if she had a fever.
She told the Jetsun, who had been summoned and just arrived, she told him,"Last summer some shepherds came and lit a big fire near here. I was caught in the flaming smoke, which made me very sick at the time. Since last autumn I had not been feeling at all well, and today I feel extremely ill. The vapors from our mouths have caused many people in this area to contract many diseases." The Jestsun thought, that's why so many people have caught the pestilence. (The beautiful woman in this story is non-human, of the lower deva evolution, a magical earth-bound spirit.
So the pollution caused her
sickness...thus these toxic vapors flowed out, as she said...with these particular devas, if one is ill, it affects them all..so these vapors from their mouths is from many, not just the one in the story...In this case she is their queen.) You can find this story, "The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, pg.333.
October 16, 2020
For those Seekers of the deeper mysteries
“Ryan’s account, both accessible and fascinating, takes us through the groups adventures, including inner practices (“Our chanting was creating a ‘cone of fire’ which not only protected the group, but also allowed for the downpour of energy from the higher planes”); journeys to India and Tibet, and the dynamics of relations between members….I believe that groups of this sort represent the best possibility for spiritual development today.”
–
Review excerpt from Quest Magazine, Summer 2019 by Richard Smoley (full review at www.northernschoolofesotericwisdom .com).
If you haven't bought my book yet, Living on the Inner Edge, and you have a sincere interest in the esoteric Group Work, please pick up a copy or kindle, you will get insights into what the future holds for those who can truly enter into a Group Work guided by the Masters of Wisdom.
Living on the Inner Edge: A Practical Esoteric Tale
–
Review excerpt from Quest Magazine, Summer 2019 by Richard Smoley (full review at www.northernschoolofesotericwisdom .com).
If you haven't bought my book yet, Living on the Inner Edge, and you have a sincere interest in the esoteric Group Work, please pick up a copy or kindle, you will get insights into what the future holds for those who can truly enter into a Group Work guided by the Masters of Wisdom.
Living on the Inner Edge: A Practical Esoteric Tale
