Overview
Mission Immortality aims at the advent of superhumans through the unfoldment of the inner potential latent in Man. It seeks to expand the spiritual experience from the level of mind to an extent that God, the primal force is manifested to the level of the physical world within the grasp of the senses. Mission Immortality is not an individual aspiration but seeks to uplift the creation as a whole. It is our next level in evolution.
In simple words this Mission is all about living In Full Enjoyment i.e. with Energy, Ecstasy and Existence! We know that our existence expands over different realms: the hard and tangible Physical, the flowing Pranic, the vastly expansive Mental, and the esoteric Spiritual. All of them are intimate parts of our being; and Life (Energy-Ecstasy-Existence) should expand over them all! This mission offers us a well-researched, methodological way to cater to such an objective. These seeds of timeless wisdom-tree come to us, having flowered on the researching-field of Swami Buddhpuri ji’s life. Energy, Ecstasy and Existence come knocking, attired in a form that is Shakti Kriya Yoga – a way of life, and interspersed with independent yet deeply interlinked kriyas.
Swami Buddha Puri Ji on Mission Immortality
At the level of the soul all are free or emancipated. Not only humans but even animals are free; for every being is essentially the Divine, sat-chit-ananda (Absolute Truth-Consciousness-Bliss personified). But an active realization of this is only possible in the human body, for here the discriminatory powers have awakened and the intellect has developed. ‘I am the Divine Soul, way beyond old age, maladies and death’- such a realization dawns when the Divine Light descends into an inward-drawn, purified intellect; when the radiance of the all-pervading Self-Knowledge is permeated in the constituting elements of the intellect. Then a Being clearly perceives that ‘I am not a body’, subject to death and decay, but I am the ever-free life force.
However, such a state though necessary, is not sufficient enough for Physical Immortality. There is a knot that veils the intellect from the real Self, only upon piercing which the Self-Knowledge gets reflected in the intellect. Akin to this, various other ‘knots’ are present between 1) the intellect and the mind 2) the mind and the senses + prana 3) the senses and the physical. Opening up all these knots paves the path for Physical Immortality. These three ‘knots’ and the primary veil (between the Self and the intellect) are quite intimately linked together. These are in fact the well known 3 ½ encirclements wherein the Divine power lies hidden; this power is popularly known by the name Kundalini Shakti (The Serpent Power)! When this Divine power within the body opens all the encirclements and gets awakened in its entirety, then the physical body too is empowered and becomes all-Divine, beyond the clutches of old age-maladies-death. Then the Divine Consciousness, with all its dynamism, power and bliss, is reflected and permeated even to the levels of the mind, prana, senses and the physical body, and not merely till the intellect. This state is termed as “Physical Immortality”.
As thought-waves rise from the intellect in an ordinary human being, similarly, powerful waves of Self-Knowledge rise from a physically immortal body. The mere presence of such a being then becomes a doorway for theLiberation for numerous faithful aspirants. This path of Liberation of all-in-one is called “Physical Immortality”. Even one Immortal Body becomes a means for the advent of Divine on earth; this lays the foundations for any aspirant to set foot on the Immortal Path. Such a body is also free from old age, maladies and death, as then, all the realms viz. intellect, mental and the physical planes have become a blossoming field for the Divine play of the union of Shiv and Shakti. The fruit formed of this divine union is termed as “Physical Immortality”.
Freedom from maladies, old age and death is a criterion to determine that the Divine Consciousness has completely manifested in the physical body. The Jiva consciousness attains the human body after developing through the course of 8.4 million species (yonis). A human being is one where the intellectual capacities have developed to quite an extent. The next higher stage in this developing process is reached when the intellect is purified and the Self-Knowledge gets reflected in it. Advancing even further than this; a Super-Human is born when the Divine Consciousness and His Power get reflected and permeated even till the physical level. A Super-Human is physically immortal too. The Divine Law has guided the animal to reach the human level. Under the same Law now a human is bound to evolve into a superhuman. Faithful does not refer to blind-faith. It is clarity of thought and right discrimination borne out of one’s own experiences.
The time is now ripe for this transformation. It is not merely a philosophical contemplation, but also a practical truth. The path has been built. The journey has begun. The goal itself, having become a conscious force, is drawing the aspirants towards itself. The most important fact is that a big ‘knot’ between the human and the superhuman levels has been pierced, the means to which are easily available even to a common man.
From his very childhood, the writer of these lines, got impressions of divinizing (immortalising) the body. Along with scholastic study introduction to the literature of Swami Ramananda and Shri Aurobindo was readily available at home. This provided information regarding the philosophical interpretations of divinizing the body. As the time passed by, the body grew and the intellect developed. Fuelled by the previous samskaras (karmic seeds), sadhana (spiritual endeavour) too was blossoming with a natural ease. And then, a meeting with Shri Gurudeva (Swami Dayalu Puri Ji Maharaj) added fuel to the visions of the goal which had already taken roots .Swami Dyalu Puri Ji, an unparalleled scholar and a renowned teacher of his time, was the custodian of the lineage, of which were also a part, Swami Totapuri Ji, who had initiated Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa into Nirvikalpa Samadhi. At the very first opportunity the inner inspiration made one to disown everything and seek the refuge at Gurudeva’s feet.
Primarily, the spiritual endeavour constituted of serving the Master and being close to him, which also provided opportunities for studying the scriptures in their truest spirit i.e. directly from an enlightened Master. Recitation and contemplation upon the Gurumantra became an intimate part of life. The mind and heart became too engrossed in sadhana to take notice of the activities of the world around. The time passed like this. Then all at once the Ultimate Truth came to be reflected clearly in the intellect by the Guru’s grace. All doubts and delusions were erased. The throbbing wisdom: “Manobudhyahankaar chittaani naaham, shivouhamshivouham shivouham-shivouham…” (I am not the mind, intellect or the ego; I am the Divine, Divine and indeed the Divine (Absolute Truth-Consciousness-Bliss personified) came to thunder in the intellect. This realization came to permeate not only the intellect, but also the subtle realms of the mind and the prana, connected directly with the intellectual sheath. The ceaseless echoes of the extremely subtle anahata nada (the blissful unstruck sounds) began to pulsate within.
It was now time for the vanishing act of Gurudeva’s life-play here. He abandoned his physical body on January 23rd, 1983 that fell on the 7th day of Paush (Indian Calendar Month). Thus far Gurudeva’s divine radiance had overwhelmed the vision, but now the world too emerged, asking to be noticed. People tried to entangle in the responsibilities of the ashram; but this was not possible. The inner calling was forceful. The silhouette of an expansive goal was emerging before the eyes. This broad vision could not remain confined in the limits of running an ashram. A few people suggested, “Practice staying in the ashram; here we will cater to all your necessities. Why should you live in unsafe and unknown places outside?” But all such assertions couldn’t prevent this being to emerge from all kinds of boundaries and wander freely on the solitary road. The goal was ever-expanding. The Divine Consciousness, permeating the intellect could not give complete satisfaction; this rather raised many questions. Why should it be limited to the intellect only? Why can’t it descend and manifest even unto the physical plane? Would the Divine Consciousness, being reflected only in the intellect, give complete freedom from old age-maladies-death while living in the same body? The impressions of divinizing the body, sprouted in the childhood as per the samskaras of the previous births, were becoming dominant. It was being vividly felt that until the Divine Consciousness descends to the level of the mind, prana, and the physical body, the journey is incomplete.
Everybody is free in the realms beyond the mind and the intellect. The practice would reach perfection when the Divine Consciousness is experienced incessantly and in totality, while living in the body. Not only the intellect, but the entire body would illuminate with the Divine Light. What use is that Divine Knowledge which cannot free the body from maladies and old age! How can the Divine bliss coexist with them? How can the expanse and bliss of Divine Knowledge put up with the confines and slavery of the body-senses? How can the mixture of sand and sugar taste all-sweet? The liberation imagined to be attained after death or after the annihilation of karmas, could only be a means to pacify the mind. If liberation could not be attained while in the body then how could it be ensued afterwards!
The Vedas proclaim- Na tasya rogo na jara na mrityu praptasya yogagnimayam shariram (He is beyond disease, old-age and death and attains a body illuminated by the fire of yoga). Many similar evidences, numerous sayings of the saints had been proclaiming that it was indeed possible to be free from maladies-old age-death, while the body itself would assume a radiant form of the Divine. But neither the path nor the practice was clearly explained! Sometimes this mind also thought that though it might have been possible to perform such mystical practices in the earlier eons; but in the present times, when there is greater grossness in the bodies, abundance of maladies and old-age; when the body is still a slave to food etc. then, perhaps it is not possible to carry out such practices. Still the quest was on. The opening to this path was being sought intensely.
The basic impediment to these mystical practices had become clear. That was the grossness in the body; the reason for which was dependence upon food and water. But the way to rise above this was still unclear. This very body is the foundation for self-realization. But being gross and limited in nature it does not allow the self-realization reflected in the intellect, to manifest in the physical body. The experience of self-realization remains impeded and confined beyond the reach of body and the senses. For Physical Immortality, a way has to be found that transubstantiation the body of its inherent grossness and limitations; for this a practice has to be found that rids it from its dependence upon gross food and water. This could be facilitated by finding an energy-nutrition, which is free from inherent waste products. Such an energy-nutrition, along with a simple process to assimilate it, will open the doorway to mystical practices for a yogi and it would also become a kind of elixir-medicine for the sick and ailing. The sadhana, sustained and made fruitful by the grace of the Guru was quite naturally and at times even unconsciously, proceeding on the premier path of immortality. Many profound practices were being unveiled off their mysteries, quite unexpectedly (their discussion would be out of context here). Major part of this phase continued to pass in the snow-laden valleys and caves of the Himalayas.
In the year 2003, this being was immersed into sadhana along with some fellow aspirants at Sharti (a place well-suited to solitary retreats with high peaks and numerous waterfalls) in Himachal Pradesh. Being surrounded by elevated peaks it was quite late when Surya Deva (the Sun) came to sight. So, it was almost nine o’clock in the morning; as this being came out of his practice cell, all of a sudden he entered into a ‘gaze’ with the shinning golden sun, which had just risen above the high peaks. It seemed as if Surya Deva himself was attracting this being through his compassionate power. The eyes were left opened as they were; and riding on the chariot of the shinning rays, the graceful power of Surya Deva began to enter into the brain. In a span of few minutes a condition dawned that was made possible after sitting in……….to be continued.