Forest Lectures on the Highest Yoga/Laya Yoga

Laya Yoga

Yesterday we talked about Kundalini Yoga. And now let us discuss a similar methodological direction which is called Laya Yoga.

Laya means “dissolution”.

Dissolution of oneself first in the Holy Spirit and then in the Primordial Consciousness, then also in the entire Absolute — this is one of the elements of the final part of the religious Path.

We have to master the methods of Laya Yoga even if we call our Path Kundalini Yoga, or Kriya Yoga, or Bhakti Yoga, or Buddhi Yoga, or Hesychasm, or Sufism. The methodological scheme of spiritual advancement of man is common for all people. The differences are only in terms and minor accents put on certain nuances in concrete spiritual traditions.

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So, what does one need to do to achieve Perfection on the Path of Laya Yoga?

To make this question more actual, I can formulate it vice versa: what does one need to do to gain in the beginning the possibility to feel the most subtle Manifestations of the Universal Consciousness, that is the Holy Spirit and the Creator?

In the New Testament there is the following precept: make yourselves close to God, and He will be close to you! What does it mean? How can one become close to God? Of course, the Apostle James* talked here not about visiting temples, making certain bodily movements, or repeating certain prayers. One has to become closer to God by the state of the soul: to make the state of the soul closer to the state of God.

Let me remind you of the words of Jesus: be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect!*

This is the only way in which we can become closer to God, to learn to feel Him, to hear His advice, directions, and commandments. Through this we can learn to enter the Bliss of Mergence with Him and achieve Unity with Him!

And the first thing we have to do is to purify the body, the mind, and the consciousness from everything coarse.

For this purpose one has to cleanse the energy structures of the body with the help of the methods of Raja Yoga — and this will result in a radical improvement of the health and the state of the soul. (By the way, one has to do it only on the background of killing-free nutrition, that is nutrition which excludes meals made of killed animals).

And the thinking (i.e. work of the mind) has to be purified from everything malevolent towards anyone, even towards the most despising human scum! Thanks to this, the emotions of anger and irritation will be substituted with compassion towards these ignorant people, with the wish that they become aware of how destructive their path is. (However, these words of mine do not mean refusal of action on preventing their criminal deeds).

Let me draw your attention to the fact that emotions are states of ours (as consciousnesses). Coarse emotions are states of hellish souls; subtle emotions are states of paradisiacal souls; the most subtle emotions are states of Holy Spirits, the Creator, and Messiahs. Therefore, the work on the refinement of the consciousness is the main method of making oneself closer to the Creator.

Very helpful in this work is to read the precepts given to us by God and to master the art of psychical self-regulation. These can be found in our books Classics of Spiritual Philosophy and the Present and Ecopsychology.

Let me also note that one can achieve significant success on the Path of Yoga only by developing oneself as a spiritual heart — subtle and giant.

Then we gain the ability to see Divine Teachers — Holy Spirits. And if we merge with Them in Their Mahadoubles — giant Forms in which They manifest Themselves over the surface of the earth or water — then this allows us to make ourselves similar to Them by the state of the soul and by the size of the soul.

Of course, on the Path of Laya Yoga other exercises are also necessary: exercises for growing the power of the refined consciousness, work on reconnecting with Kundalini, studying with the developed consciousness the structure of the multidimensional Absolute. But now it is appropriate to talk about the methods which allow one to enter into harmony with the Holy Spirit, to cognize Him, and to master Mergence with Him.

(See demonstration of psycho-physical exercises and other meditations in the film).

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When we have mastered everything said above, the Holy Spirit will guide us further: to the Depths of the Abode of the Creator — from where He Himself comes out.