Om Yoga Meditation

320 Pages·2017·4.67 MB·English

Om Yoga Meditation
Its Theory and Practice

Om Yoga
Meditation
Its Theory and Practice
Abbot George Burke
(Swami Nirmalananda Giri)
Published by
Light of the Spirit Press
lightofthespiritpress.com
Light of the Spirit Monastery
P. O. Box 1370
Cedar Crest, New Mexico 87008
www.OCOY.org
Copyright © 2016 Light of the Spirit Monastery.
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-1530187430
ISBN-10: 1530187435
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016903319
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, North Charleston, SC
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web
addresses or links contained in this book may have changed
since publication and may no longer be valid.
This book is dedicated to
Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati of Rishikesh
God Upon the Earth and Beloved Friend

Contents
Preface .....................................................................................................................ix
Chapter One: Yoga ...............................................................................................1
Chapter Two: The Word That Is God ............................................................22
Chapter Three: Om Yoga in Scriptures and Sages .....................................30
Chapter Four: Om Yoga Meditation ..............................................................41
Chapter Five: The Subtle Anatomy of the Yogi & Effects of Om Yoga ...54
Chapter Six: Understanding the Aspects of Om Yoga Meditation ........73
Chapter Seven: Points for Successful Meditation ....................................108
Chapter Eight: The Foundations of Yoga ....................................................137
Afterword: It Is All Up To You ......................................................................166
Appendix One: The Glories and Powers of Om .......................................169
Appendix Two: Breath and Sound in Meditation ....................................218
Appendix Three: Practical Applications of OM .......................................239
Glossary ...............................................................................................................246
About the Author .............................................................................................292
Light of the Spirit Monastery ........................................................................293
Reading for Awakening ...................................................................................295
vii

Preface
Most of the world is familiar with the mathematical formula: E=mc2.
But this is not just mathematics and physics, it is a statement
about the nature of the universe and everything in it including us. If
we take a block of ice and let it sit at room temperature, in time we will
not have ice, but water. Water is the actual substance of the block and
ice was just its momentary form. The reason that matter can be turned
into energy as this little formula postulates, is the fact that all things
already are energy, matter just being their temporary form. Furthermore,
Quantum Physics has realized that energy is essentially consciousness.
If this is thought about sufficiently it will revolutionize the way we see
the world around us and ourselves.
Everything is vibrating energy and therefore everything emits very
subtle sound patterns. The yoga adepts of India perceived these sound
patterns and translated them into verbal forms that could reproduce
them. These are known as mantras. Mantra is a Sanskrit term that means
“a transforming thought” because when it is repeated a mantra transforms
the ordinary consciousness of the repeater into higher consciousness. The
repetition of a mantra to produce this transformation of consciousness
is called japa. Mantras are never spoken like ordinary speech but are
intoned or “sung” on a single note.
ix
Om YOga meditatiOn: its theOrY and Practice
There are many mantras of varying character and potency. The mantra
which embodies the Supreme Consciousness that is God is a single syl-
lable: Om. It is called the Pranava, which means both the Word of Life
and the Breath Word, since prana means both life and breath. In the
Bhagavad Gita (7:8), the most widely-read scripture of India, we find
these words: “I am Om, the Word that is God.” The yogis of India in
Bengal usually use a symbolic form like this for the Divine Word, Om:
This ideogram for Om symbolizes the four states of consciousness.
The larger, lower part represents the waking state. The part just above
that represents the dreaming state. The crescent above that represents
the state of dreamless sleep. The dot represents the state of pure con-
sciousness which pervades the other three. The single dot also represents
perfect unity. Om is the embodiment of all four states.
Om meditation is simple, but remember that E=mc2 is also very
simple. An atomic explosion results from the movement of a single
atomic particle. So it is with Om. The more you use it the more you
will experience and benefit.
The statement that Om embodies the Divine Consciousness may
seem an exaggeration, but to the yogi everything in the universe is a
manifestation of that Consciousness. Some objects veil it, some reveal or
lead toward it, and Om simply is it. Yoga is not a religion in the formal
x