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'''Kriya yoga''' is a system of Indian yoga that was first popularized in the West by ]. The system consists of a number of yogic techniques that purportedly hasten the practitioner's spiritual evolution and help to bring about a profound state of tranquility and god-communion within one's own self. |
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==History== |
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'''Kriya yoga''' is a system of Indian yoga that was revived in modern times by ]. ] brought it into widespread public awareness through his book ]. The system consists of a number of yogic techniques that purportedly hasten the practitioner's spiritual evolution and help to bring about a profound state of tranquility and god-communion within one's own self. |
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] is from the Sanskrit, and can refer to a number of different yoga practices, such as the ] popular today. The Kriya Yoga that is most widely known is that given by ] to ], and passed on from Guru to disciple for many years. There are also other Kriya lineages that trace their source to Babaji. |
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The word Kriya is composed of two syllables, kri and yâ. In Sanskrit, kri means karma dhatu - action of the elements, and yâ means Soul or Atma. The word Kriya indicates action of the Soul or prâna karma. The first and most important action of the Soul is breath. |
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The word yoga comes from Sanskrit yuj which means union. The union of the individual soul with Spirit. |
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Kriya Yoga is a method to attain the union of breath and Soul in each inhalation and exhalation. Expressed in other words: the union of the individual soul with Spirit is called Kriya Yoga. This is true karma. |
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The practice of Kriya Yoga is based on breath, the brain and the spinal cord. Breath is the mediator between Soul and mind. The brain is the mediator between the sense organs and the mind. All our physical actions are reflected on our sense organs through the intermediary of the lower part of the brain located in the spinal cord. From this lower part of the brain where the lower mind is situated, we pass to the higher mind, then to breath, and lastly from breath to Soul (and then inversely). |
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According to Paramahansa Yogananda's '''', kriya yoga was well-known in ancient ], but was eventually lost. In ] however, the book continues, the immortal yogi ] initiated ] into ]. Lahiri Mahasaya then revived the practice, and it soon spread throughout India. ], a disciple of ] ] who was himself a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, then brought Kriya Yoga to the ] and ] during the ]. Since that time it has spread throughout the world through various lineages, most of which claim descent from Lahiri Mahasaya. |
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According to Paramahansa Yogananda's '''', kriya yoga was well-known in ancient ], but was eventually lost. In ] however, the book continues, the immortal yogi ] initiated ] into ]. Lahiri Mahasaya then revived the practice, and it soon spread throughout India. ], a disciple of ] ] who was himself a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, then brought Kriya Yoga to the ] and ] during the ]. Since that time it has spread throughout the world through various lineages, most of which claim descent from Lahiri Mahasaya. |
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==Other lineages== |
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According to Yogananda, in ]: |
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There are several organizations that teach kriya yoga as taught by Yogananda. A few are: ], founded by Yogananda; , founded by ] (a direct disciple of Yogananda); , founded by Roy Eugene Davis (also a direct disciple of Yogananda); and the founded by one of Yogananda's chief disciples, Yogacharya Oliver Black. The lineage of Lahiri Mahasaya also continues in the person of , the great-grandson of Lahiri Mahasaya. He is based in Benares but travels around the world, initiatiing people into the yogic science of Kriya. |
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All ] lineages however have the same root within the ] param-para; i.e. ], who gave the technique to ] through '''personal initiation''' and instruction to teach Kriya Yoga to other "worthy" humans. Lahiri Mahasaya's most famous disciples were Swami ] Giri, Swami Pranabananda, Swami Kebalananda, Swami Keshabananda, and Bhupendranath Sanyal (Sanyal Mahasaya). |
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:''The science of Kriya Yoga, mentioned so often in these pages, became widely known in modern India through the instrumentality of Lahiri Mahasaya, my guru’s guru. The Sanskrit root of Kriya is kri, to do, to act and react; the same root is found in the word karma, the natural principle of cause and effect. Kriya Yoga is thus “union (yoga) with the Infinite through a certain action or rite.” A yogi who faithfully follows its technique is gradually freed from karma or the universal chain of causation.'' |
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:''Because of certain ancient yogic injunctions, I cannot give a full explanation of Kriya Yoga in the pages of a book intended for the general public. The actual technique must be learned from a Kriyaban or Kriya Yogi; here a broad reference must suffice.'' |
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:''Kriya Yoga is a simple, psychophysiological method by which the human blood is decarbonized and recharged with oxygen. The atoms of this extra oxygen are transmuted into life current to rejuvenate the brain and spinal centers.*(1) By stopping the accumulation of venous blood, the yogi is able to lessen or prevent the decay of tissues; the advanced yogi transmutes his cells into pure energy. Elijah, Jesus, Kabir and other prophets were past masters in the use of Kriya or a similar technique, by which they caused their bodies to dematerialize at will.'' |
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:''Kriya is an ancient science. Lahiri Mahasaya received it from his guru, Babaji, who rediscovered and clarified the technique after it had been lost in the Dark Ages.'' |
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:''“The Kriya Yoga which I am giving to the world through you in this nineteenth century,” Babaji told Lahiri Mahasaya, “is a revival of the same science which Krishna gave, millenniums ago, to Arjuna, and which was later known to Patanjali, and to Christ, St. John, St. Paul, and other disciples.”'' |
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==External link== |
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:''Kriya Yoga is referred to by Krishna, India’s greatest prophet, in a stanza of the Bhagavad Gita: “Offering inhaling breath into the outgoing breath, and offering the outgoing breath into the inhaling breath, the yogi neutralizes both these breaths; he thus releases the life force from the heart and brings it under his control.”*(2) The interpretation is: “The yogi arrests decay in the body by an addition of life force, and arrests the mutations of growth in the body by apan (eliminating current). Thus neutralizing decay and growth, by quieting the heart, the yogi learns life control.”'' |
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* from the First Edition of ''Autobiography of a Yogi'' written by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1946 |
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* Includes information about learning Kriya from Ananda, and testimonials from Kriya Yogis |
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:''Krishna also relates that it was he, in a former incarnation, who communicated the indestructible yoga to an ancient illuminato, Vivasvat, who gave it to Manu, the great legislator. He, in turn, instructed Ikshwaku, the father of India’s solar warrior dynasty. Passing thus from one to another, the royal yoga was guarded by the rishis until the coming of the materialistic ages. Then, due to priestly secrecy and man’s indifference, the sacred knowledge gradually became inaccessible.'' |
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* Kriya Yoga Q&A's and other inspirational articles from ] Kriya Yoga master Noel Daryl Pahimna |
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:''Kriya Yoga is mentioned twice by the ancient sage Patanjali, foremost exponent of yoga, who wrote: “Kriya Yoga consists of body discipline, mental control, and meditating on Aum. ”Patanjali speaks of God as the actual Cosmic Sound of Aum heard in meditation. Aum is the Creative Word, the sound of the Vibratory Motor. Even the yoga-beginner soon inwardly hears the wondrous sound of Aum. Receiving this blissful spiritual encouragement, the devotee becomes assured that he is in actual touch with divine realms.'' |
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:''Patanjali refers a second time to the life-control or Kriya technique thus: “Liberation can be accomplished by that pranayama which is attained by disjoining the course of inspiration and expiration.”'' |
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==History== |
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According to ancient Hindi scriptures, the Katha ], and the ], '''Kriya Yoga''' was revealed by Adinath to Vivaswat, the first King of the solar dynasty in ancient India. Vivaswat taught it to Vaivashvat Manu, and Manu in turn taught it to Ikshwaku Ram, and the teaching continued to be passed down through the ages. Later, it was taught by Lord ] to Arjuna and many others. See ] for further details. |
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As said above, Kriya Yoga goes back to some of the oldest vedic scriptures. It is a form of ], as laid out in ]'s Yoga Sutras, and is mentioned there: ''tapah-svadhyaya-ishvara-pranidhana kriya-yoga'', which means 'asceticism, study of scriptures, and surrender to god, that is kriya yoga, the practicable yoga'. Since these three disciplines are part of the five ]s (abstentions - violence, lying, theft, (illicit-) sex, and possessions) and the five ]s (observances - purity, contentment, austerities, study, and surrender to ]) as laid out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one could say that many central aspects of Kriya Yoga are also part of Raja Yoga. |
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Numerous modern accounts including '''Romila Butalia's''' ''In the Presence of the Masters'', '''Mahayogi Pilot Baba's''' ''Himalaya Unveils Mystery'', and ]'s ''Wings to Freedom: Mystic Revelations from Babaji and the Himalayan Yogis'', to name a few, point out that this science has been practiced, and held secret by the Nath Mahapurushas (Lords of Irrandiant Splendor) and yogis of the Himalayas since time immemorial, despite its being lost to the masses at various times throughout human history. These lofty souls can still be found in the hidden caves near BadriNath, KedarNath and throughout, lost in their thousand year long samadhis of God-communion. In their estimation, ], Shiv-GorakshaNath Babaji, and AdiNath are one and the same. |
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==Lineages== |
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There are numerous organizations that teach Kriya Yoga throughout the world. |
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Western organizations that have their origin in the seminal teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda include: |
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*], founded by Yogananda; |
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*Kriya Yoga Institute, founded by Paramahamsa Hariharananda (a direct disciple of Swami ] Giri); |
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*Ananda, founded by ] (a direct disciple of Yogananda); |
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*Center for Spiritual Awareness, founded by Roy Eugene Davis (also a direct disciple of Yogananda); |
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*Song of the Morning Retreat Center, founded by one of Yogananda's chief disciples, Yogacharya Oliver Black. |
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Modern Indian Gurus and lineages that teach Kriya Yoga throughout the world: |
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*The filial lineage of ] continues in the person of , the great-grandson of Lahiri Mahasaya. He is based in Benares but travels around the world, initiatiing people into the yogic science of Kriya. |
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*], believed by his disciples and devotees to be a living Himalayan Siddha Master in the modern age, travels the world, purportedly at the behest of ], initiating sincere seekers into Babaji's Kriya Yoga and Hamsa Yoga, ''The Way of the White Swan''. He has founded the organization Hamsa Yoga Sangh to help further his mission of ''Earth Peace through Self Peace''. |
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*Marshall Govindan, a Westerner, also claims to have a form of Kriya that came directly from Babaji, through his Indian Guru Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah |
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All these ] lineages claim to have the same root within the ] param-para; i.e. ], who gave the technique to ] through '''personal initiation''' and instruction to teach Kriya Yoga to other "worthy" humans. Lahiri Mahasaya's most famous disciples were Swami ] Giri, Swami Pranabananda, Swami Kebalananda, Swami Keshabananda, Bhupendranath Sanyal (Sanyal Mahasaya), and ] (among many others). |
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==External links== |
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* in the First Edition of ''Autobiography of a Yogi'' written by ] in 1946 |
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* Includes information about learning Kriya from Ananda, and testimonials from Kriya Yogis |
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* is an online Kriya Yoga Publication that is published quarterly by the which was founded by ]. |
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* - a rich online compilation of original texts about Kriya Yoga, translated into English, and written by various disciples of ], 'The Fountainhead of Kriya Yoga' |
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* If Earth Peace is to Herald the Dawn of the New Age, Let us All Realize that: Humanity is one's only religion, Breath one's only prayer, and Consciousness one's only God. |
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There are several organizations that teach kriya yoga as taught by Yogananda. A few are: Self-Realization Fellowship, founded by Yogananda; Ananda, founded by Swami Kriyananda (a direct disciple of Yogananda); Center for Spiritual Awareness, founded by Roy Eugene Davis (also a direct disciple of Yogananda); and the Song of the Morning Retreat Center founded by one of Yogananda's chief disciples, Yogacharya Oliver Black. The lineage of Lahiri Mahasaya also continues in the person of Shibendu Lahiri, the great-grandson of Lahiri Mahasaya. He is based in Benares but travels around the world, initiatiing people into the yogic science of Kriya.