Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ego?
GuruSwamiG:Ego is that which you perceive yourself to be. Such as body, emotions, thoughts, etc. You are living your illusions of what is true through the conditions and conditionings of life. Enlightenment or Realization occurs when you drop all ideations that "I am this" or "I am that"... when you go beyond the transient world and see the Eternal Formless Constant, That which holds all yet grasps nothing. When one rests within the Constant, only then will one truly understand the transient world or Maya (that which creates and perpetuates illusion). Then you will KNOW that this is just a waking Dream State, and there is no bondage nor is there freedom for these are states that are created by mind alone. Enlightenment or Realization is when you go beyond ego, mind and rationalizations etc etc., when you reach the Heart and the Essence of Being. For ONLY then do you truly live the life of unbound Bliss and Truth and Awareness which is Consciousness beyond mind.

What is this 'Self' in Self-Realization?
GuruSwamiG: When the Self is spoken of it not speaking of the egoic self. Self is That which is the Formless Constant which is beyond all division and time etc. So when it is said to be in the NOW, if you are truly in the NOW then you will be reaching to the state of Anand (bliss, happiness or joy), or the beginning of where the opening to Realization is. When the mind is silent, with no thought, then the Anand or Bliss will rise of its own accord. You will then be in the natural state, and from there you proceed on to Realization or Enlightenment (which is not something that may be attained or obtained, as it is the natural state and therefore is instead of process of letting go, not creating more).

• Is Self-Realization an altered state?
GuruSwamiG: From your point of view it would be an altered state, but once living from this so-called "state" it is all that Is. Once the false notions and conditionings drop you don't pick them up again, and at that time (when so-called Enlightenment occurs) that which was our individualization into the ego personality dissolves, so to speak. So from then on you are non-separate from existence, you do not experience anything as being separate from that point. YOU ARE THAT. When desire drops it is only karma that you continue to play out, but you are not involved within the action of the body. It is consciousness that moves you.

• Can Enlightenment be learned or proven?
GuruSwamiG: People always wish to obtain Enlightenment like they obtain a degree. But this is a path of simplicity itself. Only in the utmost simplicity will you realize That Which Is. Realization is simply awakening to the Truth of Being, which is beyond all concepts and ideas which belong to the world of Maya (that which creates and perpetuates illusion) and change and mind. Therefore, you cannot get there by intellectual means. In Kundalini the process is that of dispelling ignorance not gaining more relative knowledge.

• If we all live within the same world then what is Maya and illusions of Truth?
GuruSwamiG: All Maya realm experience is unique to you alone. Each person views reality of the Maya realm from their conditionings. Two can face the same circumstances and have totally different experiences. There are as many illusions of Truth as there are people. Only when mind and thought and conditionings are dropped, and you go beyond division and personality and aspects, is the experience the same.

• What is the cause of the dream state of Maya realm?
GuruSwamiG: The cause of this dream? Why must there be a cause? It is Self-exploration and play. What is love, etc? When only the One which is not the one but the Emptiness of Being exists in its separateness, it is love that manifests as the various seeming forms. Desire creates the forms and sustains the worlds. Anytime desire arises then ego form will come into being.

• Can you speak a bit about deception among healers?
GuruSwamiG: Most are not out to actively deceive you. The ones involved in the deception are themselves deluded. This delusion carries over into their actions. They are attempting to bring you into their perceived illusion of truth, their distortions, although they most likely believe that they are helping. Such is the delusion of Maya. Until one has completed and has reached beyond the Maya realm, has successfully integrated Shiva/Shakti or come to KNOW and rest within the Constant, when one has transcended the duality into the non-dual, has gone from personal to impersonal, when one's own illusions of truth have been utterly shattered to the point of non-existence, when the Truth of Being is reached, only THAT ONE is ready to guide and point the way to liberation to anyone else. Anyone that is still in suffering cannot hand happiness or Bliss of Self to another. One that is still in theory cannot give experience.

• How does one find a right Guru?
GuruSwamiG: Fine One that moves your spirit to Silence and Peace. One that is readily available to answer questions as they arise. Do not gravitate to any that give initiations and then leave you to simmer on the back burner, so to speak. In olden days the Guru was served by the students. It was not that he needed their service, it was so that they were living around in close proximity, not just going to a seminar here and there. If you want simply a good Teacher that you can glean something from, then go to One that gives you tools to move towards center and silence and peace. Which is not to say one that sits and feeds your ego, getting a big head. While in the beginning this seems to lead to peace and joy, in the end it only brings a bigger disaster. And when you find your Guru, give them the respect due, but do not expect then to run your entire life. The mindset you enter and the actions and re-actions that occur, you must live with. So use wisdom, do not follow blindly. It is only by direct experience that you KNOW anything, not by concepts and conjectures that the teacher speaks, no matter how grand.

• Why does one need a Guru on the Spiritual Path?
GuruSwamiG: It is much easier for the Guru to define what is taking place in a Sadhaka's life than for the sadhaka. Why is this?  Because Guru and Sage are not invested in your storyline. There is nothing that needs to be kept safe and protected. Storylines can be insidious.... And while the sadhaka's may think "i know my life better than any Sage or Guru-G" the truth is they are often times very blinded by the embroiled mind which seeks always to make itself *right* no matter the cost ---- One needs to have a Realized Master or Guru in place to  aide in ones journey or else one has simply a blind man bumping through the night. Without having the Guru's and Mentors in place that were there at the right time this one would still be wandering around in no-mans-land chasing phenomena and having ideas about what it should be versus being able to break through to the Reality. It is only a Realized Master that can understand and stabilize
one that is having the conditioned mind broken apart and dismantling pulling one towards Realization. ONLY 0-ne that rests in Realization understands whether or not it is Realization or just another passing stage along the way. The one traversing these stages can get to a passing stage where there is Bliss and oneness and may mistake it to be Realization. This is where it is Paramount to have in place a Guide and Mentor that KNOWS the path - the way - from start to finish.

• How did Swami-G become a Guru?
GuruSwamiG: i have said to those who start with the litany of "you are self-appointed" that, No, i had a Guru that indeed pronounced the state of Realization here. His background was that he taught by 3 Tantric Masters and he himself was also a Tantric although for him Realization came through Poonjaji. As he was Ripe through his former practices so there was but a thread to be cut. His father was a Realized Being as well. This means simply that when my Guru saw that indeed all had fallen away into Realization that he commissioned me to be a Guru by directly saying "It is now time for you to be a Guru". This was not an idea that i had - it was his admonition. He didn't appear in a dream nor was it that i simply decided "Gee, being a guru would be nice".

• What is the importance of a Guru's lineage?
GuruSwamiG: Indeed only one that has actually walked it from start to finish can understand and write the map of it. It can't be given by one with theory and no practical knowledge. No lineage by itself is going to help. One HAS to have a Master in place that has Mastered their own journey rather than a set of dogmatic rules and practices. Am not speaking of dead lineages of pomp and circumstance. Am speaking of the Lineage of Realized Masters no matter what the tradition they passed through. There is lineage as far as a tradition and school is concerned. And this can become a dead thing - when you have those who are caught up within dogmas - practices by wrote - etc. that simply keep on in a spin of creating and exchanging one conditioning for another. So am not speaking of this type of being commissioned... hahahahahahah nor this type of lineage. The journey here was long and colorful - hahahaahahah... it was like tying up lose ends from lifetimes of practices and coming out the other side Free of them. O-ne enters into the Tradition and Lineage of Lineage Holders - those who speak from the Fluidity of Crazy Wisdom or Direct and Penetrating Knowing that carries the Transmission of Stillness Directly. It does no good to be locked into a *tradition* or even a *lineage* when it has been reduced to dogmas and dead practices.

• What is Swami-G's lineage?
GuruSwamiG: My path has been eclectic - my Guru's none that would be recognized lineage - Esoteric Christian - Tantric - Shavite one of the 10 Dasnami traditions- this is one of the oldest traditions in India. The Lineage of having walked the path from start to completion. The Lineage of Realized Masters - as far as the externals of lineages, they are only indicators of perhaps what type of leanings that the practices will take. Some lineages have become so bogged down in dogmas that they have lost the lifeblood. When speaking of lineage it simply means that there was guidance along the way - although for most of my life it was the Inner Mystics Path- traversing the dark night of the soul and much inner soul searching etc. That came under the heading of the Esoteric Christian Order. Walking the path of Christ. It only matters to those in the world that have a  bookish mentality. It is only another way to classify and to box in a way of thinking. The world wants a way to define and categorize but really the path is about breaking free of all of this. (Also Visit More GuruSwamiG Lineage info)

• What is Meditation?
GuruSwamiG: True meditation is when there are no longer any thoughts, only the silence of awareness; no judgments, no rationalizing, nothing but Pure Awareness. Otherwise it is not meditation but focused contemplation.

• When the mind is stilled how do you think?
GuruSwamiG: When someone asks a question the answer is just there, it just comes forward, appearing within the framework of consciousness. There is no rational thought pattern that is happening. Otherwise, since there is no longer any search there is only silence. Any random thoughts that may occur are only clouds with no substance and not really recognized.

• How should I deal with this raging mind?
GuruSwamiG: The thoughts arise and keep coming until they clear. Then simply Clarity will remain. This is why you must stay centered within the Heart. The Heart of Being will see you through this amazing journey. It is now in the process of showing you what you are NOT. To show you that all that is rising is due to mind and thought. The illusiveness and illusion of it all. This is the value in what is happening. But yes, it appears to have substance and be real at the time. But it only has the reality that you give it, that you cling to. The main thing is to not fear what is happening.  The fear in itself will generate thoughts like thoughts and happenings. So, come to center, and be Still. Just sit and go within. Be Still. Yes, in the beginning the mind will rage. It is the accumulated garbage which surfaces and shows itself at first, but it WILL clear. Just have patience. This is why it is stated in the teachings that and external Guru is needed, to help support during this important time, to help point the way through. This is the sword of the spiritual realm, it cuts ego and brings life and death within the same blow. Enlightenment is being blown out, so be prepared for the wild ride in the beginning. In the end is Bliss and Peace. So hand in there..

• Why is there so much fear?

GuruSwamiG: It is the fear that you yourself generate through mind and perceive as an illusion of truth which is keeping one bound. In Truth you have NEVER been bound. You exist is complete FREEDOM. But you unwittingly create and sustain your illusions, such as: "I am not good enough" or "What if I fail?" and "I am a failure for I have failed before...". All of these, and I repeat ALL of these, are ego-generated fears alone. They have no lasting truth, no validity. You alone keep yourself bound. It is your false perception of ego- that you are body and personality- which keeps you in this cycle of fear-induced perplexity. You are not the bound form. You, the Self, is the One that is AWARE of the form, but it is not the form. The form only gives the medium of experience. You, in Truth, are the Formless Constant which is of Eternal Existence. You are the ever-vigilant Consciousness of Awareness. The bodies come and go as they will. Experience come and goes as it will. The nature of things come and go.. they are good, they are bad...emotions are happy, then they are sad...This is the transient world. Constant Change. That is nature, that is natural. But you are BEYOND ALL of the transient. The transient is your world of play and re-creation. And if you appear to make a "wrong" decision or fail, SO WHAT! Look at it again... Have you ever truly failed at anything? NO! NEVER! All is learning and wisdom-gaining experience. ALL. There are no right nor wrong choices. Life is just Life. It is here for direct experiential play to Discover the Truth of your Being. So RELAX. Go out and enjoy the play (as in a movie) and play (as in re-creation) of life.

• What do you do when the mind questions what to think or is frightened of not having anything to think?
GuruSwamiG: You Let it Go. When thought ends there is just simply a gentle peace that remains. What is lost in the unproductive mind drama? The ability to think is not lost. So simply let go...

• Is it necessary to have the Kundalini experience in order to attain Self-Realization?
GuruSwamiG: No, not per se, but each that are on a spiritual path have some type of conscious energy urging them onwards.

• What does the Kundalini do?
GuruSwamiG: Kundalini is an energy force. Concentrated Consciousness that moves when awakened through the three bodies: physical, subtle, causal. Moving through the physical body is releases all past and present vasannas [habitual tendencies or dispositions] and  samskaras [cumulative impressions carried over from past lives and learnings] to see and go through, until they are dropped and cleared. Although having a great impact on the physical form it has little to do with form at all, but simply to go beyond ego to merge with the Formless Constant or Pure Conscious Awareness, the Emptiness of Being which all form emerges from and returns to. During it's upward journey the three bodies are traversed, or you may say the physical, mental and emotional bodies will be cleared. On this journey you will see and experience many levels but remember that all are only mindplay, movements of consciousness. The power and energy comes to a halt when the Kundalini reaches it's end destination, which is loss of ego and merging with the Source. Within the Source there is only clear light, the power ends as there is no longer any movement. From there you will once again enter the flow of life- Being simply Truth, Consciousness and Bliss- clear of all past preconceived notions and illusions created by the forms experience. There is no longer a feeling of "I am this form" but rather "The Universe is Consciousness Moving". There is no separate "I" from Consciousness, only Consciousness beyond the form remains, ever conscious of the One and knowing the many to be only seeming aspects of the One.

• Is Kundalini Awakening synonymous with Self-Realization?
GuruSwamiG: NO. It can help in the process, but it can also take one down a long road on many other journeys first. It does not always lead to Self-Realization. It is a falsehood that when Kundalini reaches the crown chakra Self-Realization is entered. First it must come back to the heart, it must rest in the heart. The surrender must be complete. When the searching ends Self-Realization is entered into. As long as the mind keeps seeking the continuing phenomena will happen: visions, lights, sounds, siddhis etc. But when the heart is entered into and the seeking ends then Grace descends and Self-Realization of Enlightenment takes place. The other happenings help to purify and move conscious awareness towards being ready to accept that Divine Grace. To ultimately surrender all experience, concepts and self-ideations to the Altar of Truth and willingness to enter into the great unknown and unknowable. Kundalini is a process of preparation. It prepares one for Self-Realization, to move beyond the physical and subtle realms into the Reality which makes the other realms possible. When you have searched the physical and the subtle, have seen how things may be manipulated and how powers come, and that in the end are not themselves enlightening nor do they bring the peace nor Bliss that lasts, then you are ready to utterly surrender. When the heart is entered and surrender is complete the Enlightenment or Self-Realization happens by Grace. When all of the doing has been done. And all of the searching comes to an end and surrender happens, then Divine Grace takes over..

• Should the Kundalini experience be sought out? Should one try to get it activated?
GuruSwamiG: No. In processing Kundalini one should be under the guidance and care of a Kundalini-completed guide and Guru. One that is completed can help to balance and also accelerate the process if time is spent in their presence. All that is needed is to implement the given practices. Kundalini Awakening just puts everything in your face where it has to be addressed.

• If not, how then should one proceed without having the Kundalini in process?
GuruSwamiG: Through the practices and simplifying the life, taking the road of mindfulness. A Zen approach.

• But I want to activate the Kundalini to feel completely self-empowered and unlimited in my potential, so that I can manifest my potential. So I can achieve some success with my work and relationships...?
GuruSwamiG: Success has nothing to do with the exteriors, and what is self-empowerment? You are already all that you need to be. That, once again, is ego-based desire; to "be" some-thing. More control; you equate more energy with more control, but this energy is NOT controlled or controllable. It controls you. So once again, this is not the way. In the end the most control is when nothing is controlled, but simply seen as the natural flow and progression of this life's being. That is all. And you move forward for this moment alone, not projecting into the future nor clinging to the past. They have no relevance in the NOW. Be in this moment what you ARE. That is all.

• I feel trapped by my limiting beliefs and habits that I cannot seem to get rid of; I figured Kundalini might be a way through these problems?
GuruSwamiG:Absolutely not. You break through the identifications through self-contemplation (by seeing absolutely that you are not the body, nor mind, nor emotions), not by creating energy which only intensifies the body and subtle body identifications. While Kundalini creates a moving consciousness it is, in the end, based on the transients. Anything that is moving, that moves, is transient, and not the Constant which is beyond all form and movement. You do not reach the seed or Source by moving anywhere. It is only when the Kundalini has completed its course and once again rests within the heart that the Constant is Known, and that can take lifetimes", not simply days, months, or even years. It is not a quick-fix path.

• But isn't there only one intention behind everyone's wish to awaken the Kundalini, i.e. for Self-Realization or Enlightenment?
GuruSwamiG: To many being Realized or Enlightened has many different ideations and concept attached to it. That is why there is an attempt on this end to clarify just what is wanted. For many have the misguided notion that when one is Realized or Enlightened their life if full of mystical happenings, that one "controls the world", that they have the ability to wave a magic wand so to speak, that they become caricatures of the "enlightened master". It, for many, is more of an ego trip rather than a sincere longing for the Truth to be revealed. This is not to imply that you are on an ego trip, not at all, it is simply said to have one look at their intentions and motivations and what they entail...truthfully..

• Can you tell me more about this feeling of being energetically rebuilt on a cellular level?
GuruSwamiG: Don't concern yourself with all of that. It has nothing to do with the real you in the end. The body comes and goes. You are not touched by any of these seeming unfolding events, including all of the Kundalini activity. In the end the Self is unchanging. These appear to be quite real happenings but just let them unfold and see the Source from where they are emerging. Concern yourself with only the root, not the by-product. But indeed one does go through a cellular cleansing.

• What about Siddhis?
GuruSwamiG: Siddhis [spiritual powers or psychic abilities] come and go. In attempting to hold on to any of them one gets caught up into more ego, to the point of egotistical  belief that you are a superior creation far above the masses. This is a dangerous and quite real trap. Those not ready fall into it quite easily, and in their self-importance they fall ever-farther away from truth. Just because siddhis manifest it does not mean that one is spiritual. If you are sincere in wanting to reach Realization you see the trap and do not use the siddhis. Let them fall away, they are nothing in the end. What is there to control? Only ego. Only the egotistical want to control. So if someone is boasting about their powers and siddhis RUN. Do not walk, RUN in the other direction. For this one is lost in a delusion of this own creation. Maya sets many traps along the way. Those that are not purifying their thoughts, not coming from the heart, not surrendering to the Source, will definitely get caught in these traps. Energy may be used or MISUSED. It is directed by Consciousness, if mind gets into the play it can easily be misdirected.

• What about celibacy? Is abstaining from sex necessary for the path?
GuruSwamiG: While suppression is not always the answer, neither is wanton sex. Brahmacharya [the practice of dedicating ones life to the quest for Self-Realization] is a state of mind. To be pure and chaste within, to not cling; to be within emptiness, a gentle silence. When the Bliss within is found and uncovered then it will radiate. When wholeness within is found and rested in, then the need for an outward coming together is no longer chased after. The wholeness being sought is always in the end found within the Heart of your own BE-ing.

How can my relationship be used along the path?

GuruSwamiG: Relationships are always good to work on the ego self. It really puts ego out in your face, so to speak. The more you can give in and not argue the point of any ego stance the more you serve to break down the ego of all the important "i" verses "I" of the soul, which encompasses all beings equally. Only in breaking the "i" of the self-importance, do we progress. Until we can once again drop the "i" for the "I" and become again the ocean instead of the drop (which in its self-appointed aloneness seeks to claim its importance). Only in non-importance does the important emerge, in all its glory...

• After initiation does the Shakti stay active all the time?
GuruSwamiG: It is moving within it's own timing. Sometimes more active, sometimes it appears to rest. But it is always there.

• How can one be sure Shakti has pierced all chakras and if not, how does one achieve Samadhi?
GuruSwamiG: You need not worry about attempting to categorize where you are. Just continue on in your Sadhana (spiritual discipline or practice) and when you have reached to where you need to be you will indeed be pulled into a State. When enough has been released and when you have surrendered and forgotten the ego identity, you will find that you will enter into a Samadhi.

• Can only a truly enlightened being give Shaktipat, or is Shaktipat a yogic power- that one who is not totally enlightened can acquire?
GuruSwamiG: Shaktipat is a yogic power. It does not mean that the one that possesses it is enlightened. Many give Shaktipat as a matter of course, not taking into accountability where the person receiving it is at mentally-emotionally-spiritually. Many are facing many problems and a difficult path due to an awakening by a well-meaning but unqualified guru. I am sure that these gurus are not meaning to hurt anyone but in fact, it happens. When the Kundalini is going strong it is possible to give Shaktipat to another. Just as when one battery is well-charged you can charge and jump-start a dead battery. It does not mean that the charged battery has any greater intelligence than the dead battery, it is simply a matter of energy. But if it is directed by humble intent  and a desire to know truth it will be constructive. It will burn away the dross one way or another in the end. Please do not make the mistake of thinking that just because someone has a lot of Kundalini activity and energy that they are necessarily enlightened.

• I have read some scientific reports about brains and consciousness that says brain activity produces consciousness. Do you have any insights about this?
GuruSwamiG: They are 100% backwards. Consciousness creates brain activity. As the consciousness changes indeed the brain changes. More connections are made, balance happens. The brain is simply like a switchboard, but it does not create consciousness. It is like a computer. There must be something that programs it. It holds and stores and moves electrical impulses within the physical form, but it does not create consciousness.

• Why am I getting so sick? How can I get through this?
GuruSwamiG: Remember that Kundalini is a cleansing process on all levels (spiritual, mental, physical) and indeed brings forth all the psychological fears, sadness, pain, etc that have been part of your make-up for lifetimes. If you can keep this in mind it helps one through the process. It will end. The trick is in learning how to see through the process and the rising thoughts etc. This is where Guru comes in.

• I feel like I am going crazy and wonder how much the human brain can take before it goes crazy?
GuruSwamiG: All of these processes and experiences are, in the end, to show you that all is created and sustained by mind, that the transient is transparent and empty in nature. The problem happens when you cling to the experiences and want to make 'sense' within what is termed the 'normal' life. This all happens to get you to break through all the identifications. This is why I stress doing the practices given, to break through the illusions more rapidly and safely rather than having everything appearing to manifest in your face point-blank. It is the egoic identification with the transient as being the permanent, with the self being a compilation of the body-mind-conditioned experience within the terms and context called 'this lifetime'. All this proceeds to take you to discover the Timeless Source which makes the play of the so-called individual possible, and shows you what you are not in the end. Here is basic instruction for when kundalini gets intense, Click Here.

• Is the "Dark Night of the Soul" an essential state for every individual pass through to reach Realization?
GuruSwamiG: Although it is not essential, as anything is possible in the journey, it is for the most part a valid happening for most on the path. Do not attempt to bring up such an occurrence. If it happens it is arising to draw you to center. If you are already moving toward center then perhaps it may be bypassed.

• What is the significance of OM?
GuruSwamiG: OM is the first sound and the last: Alpha-Omega. It is the first sound of creation and the last when entering into the Formless Constant. It is representative of that which is beyond the transient, the Infinite One.

Maha Shanti OM

Guru Kaliuttamananda-Giri (GuruSwamiG)