Shi Va. Two syllable version of the Panchakshara, a monistic version. When we go deep enough in meditation the inner forces are experienced and actually change our karma and dharma. There is no duality in a deep state of meditation. Surrender--Siva's will be done--the key to Theistic worship. Prapatti takes practice. The difference between "Experiencing Reality as himself and himself as Reality." Claim the part of you which is Shi and Va.

Unedited Transcript:

Good morning everyone. Few words from Gurudeva from yesterday's Living with Siva lesson called:

"Two Syllable Panchakshara."

"When one looks at the Earth and the Sun one thinks more of the Earth than of the Sun, which is so far away. Traveling through space toward the Sun, the Earth fades into a distant speck and one contemplates the Sun as it looms larger and larger as he draws nearer and nearer. There is no intellect here, you see, for the intellect is connected to the Earth in its exterior ramifications of worldliness. The devotee's path is to merge into the Sun. The devotee's path is to merge--in the totality of his awareness, willpower and life force--into the Self, God, Siva. Siva is the ancient name of the Self, God. Mystically, Shi (meaning the first syllable) is the Absolute state. Va is the All-Pervading Self flowing through the mind."

It's an interesting version of the Panchakshara, two syllable version. It's also a monistic version meaning you're not involved with the personal aspect of Siva or Ishvara, focusing on Siva as Parasiva and as Parashakti or as the Absolute and the All-Pervading Self.

"It is only when the devotee, though yoga disciplines under the direction of his satguru, traverses the thought strata of his mind that he begins to experience what he has been learning philosophically. Then the Sun, his Siva, the Self God, blooms paramount before his vision. Earthiness, worldliness, humanness, instinctiveness fade into a speck within his memory patterns; and like the astronaut hurtling through space toward the Sun, awestruck as to the impending annihilation of the remnants of his identity, the devotee piercing his inner depths awes at the magnificence of Siva.

"This then brings willpower into its crowned usage. The transmuted force of the divine will of the devotee compellingly guides the last remnants of intellect and passions, and in total surrender, when confronted to respond, he voices, 'I know not. Siva's will be done.' The will of Siva... (This is interesting definition of the will of Siva.) The will of Siva--the totality of all force that is active, quiescent force and non-force as found in Shi and Va--begins to take over the dharma and the karma and floods through the being of the devotee on the threshold of Reality. "

Anyone understand that? Had to stop on that one, huh? Read it again here.

"The will of Siva--the totality of all force that is active, quiescent force and non-force as found in Shi and Va-- begins to take over the dharma and the karma and floods through the being of the devotee on the threshold of Reality."

What that is saying is: When we go deep enough in meditation the inner forces are experienced and those actually change our karma and dharma. That's what Gurudeva's saying. So our karma and dharma is changed somewhat by deep meditation. Or, our life goes a slightly different direction. More spiritual.

"And so while in a dual state of assuming some personal identity, he states, 'Siva's will be done,' as his new and most refined sadhana of giving up the last of personal worldliness to the perfect timing of the infinite conglomerate of force and non-force within him. This he says as a mantra unto himself when he sees and hears in the external world. But when eyes and ears are closed, through the transmuted power of his will he merges into the samadhi of Va and Shi and Shi and Va experiencing Reality as himself and himself as Reality."

This is an interesting expression of Monistic Theism, what Gurudeva's saying here. The normal states of mind, someone who meditates goes through, shifts from monism to theism. That's what he's saying. If you're practicing meditation, you're actually, sometimes you're a Monist and other times you're a Theist. So, this is the Theist part here.

"And while in a dual state of assuming some personal identity he states: 'Siva's will be done.' as his new and most refined sadhana of giving up the last of personal worldliness to the perfect timing of the infinite conglomerate of force and non-force within him. This he says as a mantra unto himself when he sees and hears in the external world."

So, when we're in our outer consciousness, we're naturally Theists. We're identified with our personality and God is separate from us. And so in that state of mind we can say: "Siva's will be done," because Siva's separate from us.

"But, when the eyes and ears are closed through the transmuted power of his will he merges into the samadhi of Va and Shi and Shi and Va experiencing Reality as himself and himself as Reality."

So then in that state you can't say: Siva's will be done because you're experiencing Siva. So, there's no duality in a deep state of meditation.

We were focusing on this in our retreats. Started in Malaysia in June, early June. Then we refined the material a little bit further in late June for Santa Cruz, California. Then we presented it in Singapore. By the time we got to Singapore we'd made it much more difficult, but better. You know, the third time around it was, it was nicely done. The first time around it was simple things like: What is Monism? What is Theism? But, by the time we got to Singapore it said; What are the attitudes you need to be, you need to express to be successful in Theistic worship? Getting more difficult. So, the attitudes you need to express in Theistic worship is this idea of surrender.

Surrender is the key to doing well in Theistic worship. And as Gurudeva words it here: "Siva's will be done." That sense of surrendering. In the Theistic sense you're surrendering to somebody else. In the Monistic sense it's a little different.

I was also asked a question when we were in Santa Cruz related to that. Took me a while to figure out what the question was. But, the question was: How do you achieve the ultimate surrender?--which is called prapatti, total surrender. And the answer I gave was by practicing non-total surrender. Do the best you can, keep working at it. Keep working at it and what you're not surrendering gets smaller and smaller so to speak. Eventually, all of you is getting surrendered. It just takes practice. You can't do something special to achieve it. It's not separate from ordinary surrender. It's just the result of really surrendering all of you that's not Siva's will, leads to prapatti.

I was meditating on this one this morning.

Gurudeva says:

"Experiencing reality as himself as Reality and himself as Reality."

Why does he say it twice? You know, what's the difference between experiencing Reality as himself and himself as Reality? Why would he say it twice? Well, I'm not sure there's one interpretation cause it is kind of abstract but the one I was working on was: Reality as himself is how you start. I am striving to realize the Self. The I is here and the Self is there. I am trying to realize Parasiva. And experiencing that Reality as one's Self is the goal. But himself as Reality, himself is first. So, in that first sense, you know, the Self is kind of separate from you. Somehow you manage to experience it. But, it's still, you're looking at it as separate from you. Whereas, himself as Reality, then it's part of you. In other words, you found the part of you which is Parasiva. It's a more integrated idea. It's more just the core of you and not something you managed to experience one day. It's up here or something. You know, it's the core of you so it's a more an integrated concept. Himself as Reality.

So, we're seeing ourself as Parasiva. Or that part of us, the deepest part of us is Parasiva. That's how I was thinking of it. To have these two perspectives working is very helpful because then you can get the most out of your Theism, your temple worship. Siva's will be done. Surrender! And the most out of your meditation where you're trying to claim a part of you which is Shi and Va. That Absolute Reality and the All-Pervading consciousness that's not different from you.

So, thank you very much.

Have a wonderful week.

[End of transcript.]