The Void
Surrounding the second and the third chakra is the Void which stands for the principle of mastery (guru principle) within us. In many spiritual traditions, this area is the “ocean of illusions” that needs to be crossed with the help of a spiritual guide. When the Kundalini is awakened and passes through the Void, this principle of mastery is established within us.
“As the Kundalini rises into the third part, next to the Nabhi Chakra, we become absolutely righteous. This area, which we call as the Ocean of Illusion, is enlightened by ten principles of mastery. The great masters have created these ten centres of commandment which are enlightened and we become holy. There is no need to be strict in one’s behavior. We automatically become really spiritual. Like an egg becomes the bird, we are born twice. In Sanskrit a Yogi or the one who knows about Brahma, meaning the All-Pervading Power, is called Dwija and a bird is also called Dwija, meaning twice born. There were Abraham and Moses and all the ten Primordial Masters who have been born again and again on this Earth. Zoroastra has been born five times and also so many of these were born in different places in different countries to guide the people to take to religious life to establish the necessary balance for the ascent. By talking about religious life it does not work. By reading scriptures we get lost in the web of words (Sabda Jalam). We innately feel the existence of universal pure religion within ourselves after awakening when the Kundalini rises into this part called the Ocean of Illusion (Bhavasagara or Void which is the circled area around Nabhi Chakra). When this centre is fully enlightened and established in spirituality, we become automatically righteous. We respect our value system, we become moral, we become honest, non-violent and we become innately compassionate. All these qualities becoming so evident within ourselves that we change and get transformed into a new being who is extremely righteous and who is like a saint. To such a person there is no need to talk about the do’s and the don’ts.”
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
During the period of human evolution to date there has been a constant battle against ignorance and illusion. This state of ignorance is something that has to be overcome before humans can actually experience the beauty and Reality of the Spirit. The area that represents this struggle to cross over from illusion to Reality is known as Void, or the Bhavasagara (Ocean of Illusion). The Void is the gap between the Kundalini and the vagus nerve of the parasympathetic system. It represents all spaces and time from the beginning of creation to the peak of our evolution in human awareness. It is the vacuum which separates our awareness from the Absolute, the critical gap that no religious institution or spiritual school has able to cross — till now.
The Void is the centre of our own mastery. As the Kundalini energy enlightens this area we become our own Guru and attain gravity. This grounded state is one of the primary ways that we remain in balance in the midst of our turbulent existence. When the Kundalini rises and fills the Void our Attention is led out of confusion and Maya, and into the awareness of the higher Reality. In this way we can take control of our own evolution without relying on external forces. Eventually our own introspection will provide answers and keys during our meditation. We become our own masters, far surpassing the most enlightened religious prisoner.
In a lot of cases the key will be to recognize a solution to our problem presented to us externally, but as we become our own master we are able to discern the right from wrong, the Truth from falsehood from within. The other side of the coin is the principle of discipline. It is important for us to recognize Truth in a humble and open-minded and give advice with the gravity of a Master. The great Masters throughout the ages have been most humble. In this way they surrender their ego to the Divine and are able to teach with absolute authority, even when directly challenging the established wisdom of the time.
Since the Void is directly connected with the Nabhi Chakra it is no coincidence that the principle of Dharma is a fundamental aspect of this area. All of the great Prophets who have come to act as role models for the human race and to give Knowledge of the higher Reality are associated with the Void. The Primordial Deity is Shri Adi Guru Dattatreya. The ten embodiments of the Adi Guru are Socrates, Confucius, Moses, Abraham, Zarathustra, Lao-tse, Mohammed, Raja Janaka, Guru Nanak, and Shri Sai Nath of Shirdi. One has to understand that evolution is time sensitive. All incarnations of the Primordial Master came in stages, and scattered all over Earth. It is they who have taught us the ways of righteous living that maintain codes of conduct by which anarchy is avoided. All of the great Masters and Prophets who took their birth on Earth to guide us, have made Dharma a key tenet of their teachings. We can only become better beings by not abusing ourselves or debasing others, that is, by living as beings of the Almighty Creator and in accordance to the laws of nature.
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
“Surrounding the second and the third chakra is the Void which stands for the principle of mastery (guru principle) within us. In many spiritual traditions, this area is the “ocean of illusions” that needs to be crossed with the help of a spiritual guide. When the Kundalini is awakened and passes through the Void, this principle of mastery is established within us. Thus, as Shri Mataji says, in Sahaja Yoga you become your own guru, your own spiritual guide since you can feel on your fingertips all your subtle problems and have the power to cure them using your own Kundalini. Moreover, establishing this center helps us get rid of all our habits, laziness, gross attachments, and everything that enslaves us in a way or another: we become our own master.
Following false “gurus” who are more interested in power tricks or your purse can damage very much the Void area. But after Self-Realization, everything can be cured through the purifying power of the Kundalini in meditation.”
www.sahajayoga.org
“Dhyana, is to remove all objects and keep the mind single pointed. On what? On the void, on emptiness. This is meditation. Those who have tried meditating, have experienced how easily the mind attaches itself to the next arising object and suddenly you are off and lost in a labyrinth of thoughts and identifications. Yoga signifies that the average man cannot meditate without adequate preparation. When you have purified body and mind and learnt to control your thoughts and senses you become more and more able to see the empty spaces between all of the phenomenon that arises in your mind. To rest in this emptiness which is like the blue sky beyond the clouds of your thoughts and to remain unidentified with them is true medittation. It is here where we gain glimpses of the freedom we are capable of experiencing.
The eighth limb, samadhi is translated as absorption, bliss, realisation and the highest consciousness or truth. It cannot be practised but arises spontaneously after extended periods of meditation. Able to observe the void within oneself, the observer finally turns around and becomes a witness of our true nature. You realise that your individual self (atman) is one with the divine self (brahman).
The union of atman and brahman is the true subject of Yoga. It is here that we attain the final freedom.”
www.8limbs.com
“In yoga it is necessary to control all of the senses, and when all the senses are controlled, the mind must be engaged in thinking of Visnu. One becomes peaceful after thus conquering material life.
jitatmanah prasantasya
paramatma samahitah
“for one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquillity.” (Bg. 6.7) This material world has been likened to a great forest fire. As in the forest, fire may automatically take place, so in this material world, although we may try to live peacefully, there is always a great conflagration. It is not possible to live in peace anywhere in the material world. But for one who is transcendentally situated—either by the meditational yoga system or by the empirical philosophical method or by bhakti-yoga—peace is possible. All forms of yoga are meant for transcendental life, but the method of chanting is especially effective in this age. Kirtana may go on for hours, and one may not feel tired, but it is difficult to sit in lotus position perfectly still for more than a few minutes. Yet regardless of the process, once the fire of material life is extinguished, one does not simply experience what is called impersonal void. Rather, as Krsna tells Arjuna, one enters into the supreme abode.
yunjann evam sadatmanam
yogi niyata-manasah
santim nirvana-paramam
mat-samstham adhigacchati
“By meditating in this manner, always controlling the body, mind and activities, the mystic transcendentalist attains to the kingdom of God through cessation of material existence.” (Bg. 6.15) Krsna’s abode is not void. It is like an establishment, and in an establishment there is a variety of engagements. The successful yogi actually attains to the kingdom of God, where there is spiritual variegatedness. The yoga processes are simply ways to elevate oneself to enter into that abode. Actually we belong to that abode, but being forgetful, we are put in this material world. Just as a madman becomes crazy and is put into a lunatic asylum, so we, losing sight of our spiritual identity, become crazy and are put into this material world. Thus the material world is a sort of lunatic asylum, and we can easily notice that nothing is done very sanely here. Our real business is to get out and enter into the kingdom of God. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna gives information of this kingdom and also gives instructions about His position and our position—of what He is and what we are. All the information necessary is set forth in Bhagavad-gita, and a sane man will take advantage of this knowledge.”