Namaste!
I always finish my classes with the salutation Namaste, "The Light within me greets the Light within you. We are one in the Light". Another way of saying this can be "The Divine within me salutes the Divine within you. We are one in Spirit". The gesture of placing the hands together in front of the heart centre acknowledges that we are all spiritually connected. As we approach the end of the millennium, I would like to share with you some of my reflections about the sense of oneness that is at the heart of the yogic teachings.
We are all spiritual beings having an experience in the manifested world. God is the source, from with everything emanates and comes into manifestation. In the incredible diversity of form living beings can take, Spirit is that essential part inherited directly from God. God is the whole, the Absolute. Spirit is God present in everything. God, the Source, is Light. Spirit is the light within. Spirit is eternal, as God is eternal, without beginning and without end.
The Light is present in everything and everyone, like a brilliant sun. God is equally present in a sunset and in a thunderstorm, in a saint and in a murderer. For human beings, the spiritual journey consists of realizing the Light within and connecting with the universal Source. Inner work consists of dissipating the clouds of self-doubt, hatred and the illusion of separation. This process brings the awakening of the spiritual Heart.
When we connect at the spiritual level, we are moving beyond the diversity of forms, the differences in races, personalities and beliefs. We are connecting directly from the Essence we can call our True Self. The ability to connect with ourselves, with each other and with our environment at this level is the promise and gift of the New Millennium. It's my hope and belief that in this New Age, a greater number of individuals will be able to realize the truth yogis and spiritual masters from different traditions have been teaching for thousands of years: We are One. All in Self, Self in All. Our True Self is the Divine imprint present in all life.
Published in Yoga Links. Nov. 1999. Issue 1
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