Herbs for Spiritual Awakening in ĀyurvedaDate - Starting April 27rd 2023 Location - online Duration - 6, 1 hour classes For Who - open to the public Cost - $150 |
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The ancient texts on Yoga mention herbs as a potential source for spiritual awakening and for the development of siddhis (mystical powers). Many Indiologists have suggested that these texts refer to narcotic substances. These scholars have tried to understand a very mystical and experiential practice of Yoga through the constructs of logic and Western metaphysics. This has led to a great deal of misunderstanding about the process of spiritual awakening and the properties of herbs. The ancient Ayurvedic texts provide insight into this matter and have recommended specific herbs and herbal forumlas for use to develop siddhis and promote spiritual awareness. Contrary to the belief of the Indiologists, the Ayurvedic texts advise the strict avoidance of intoxicants, especially for those doing spiritual practices, and recommend herbs with vastly different properties to support spiritual awakening. Narcotic substances are tamasic, dulling to the mind. They may be able to increase a person's awareness temporarily and in extremely limitted ways, but their results are unpredictable and unsustainable and the after effects are quite damaging to a person's mental state. When hearing of the mystical powers the great Yogis have attained in their practice, like the ability to travel through space and time, or to be in different places at the same time, or to levitate, or to manipulate mater with the mind, the Indiologists have found these claims hard to believe. Their conclusion has been to assume that the yogis did not actually attain these powers, but were hallucinating. But the Yogis were not hallucinating. They actually attained these and many other mystical powers and awarenesses. Many people in the East have encountered powerful yogis and witness many miraculous seeming events in their presence. These powers cannot be attained through any narcotic substance, but it can be attained through the disciplined practice of Yoga and Japa and Meditation, and certain special sattvic herbs, which support clear perception can be a support to this process. But these herbs are very different from the narcotic substances which all have a long-term effect of dulling one's perception.
The famous British Historian Michael Woods has quoted the Rigveda about the Soma plant:
“...He covers the naked and heals all who are sick. The blind man sees; the lame man steps forth....Let those who seek find what they seek: let them receive the treasure....Let him find what was lost before; let him push forward the man of truth....” Rigveda Samhita 8-72-2
Of this pasage, Woods commented:
“Such is indicative of an experience with an entheogen of some source”
This is a reductionist explanation which fails to understand and therefor denies the spiritual experience of the Yogis described in the Vedas. Is there any narcotic substance which "heals all who are sick" or which makes the blind see or the lame walk? The Christian Bible tells stories of Jesus healing the blind and making the lame to walk. Do the Christian scholars claim that Jesus was on drugs and and that people were hallucinating when they witnessed these miracles? No. They understand that it would be disrespectful to do so. They claim that Jesus was capable of performing miracles because he was one with His Heavenly Father. Some choose to believe and others choose not to believe, but they do not attempt to disparage the claims of the Christians by claiming that they were mistaken because their mental faculties were dulled by narcotic substances.
The great Yogis, like Jesus, are one with the Lord of all. They have performed many great miracles. This is hard for Westerners to beleive, because they have not witnessed the miracles of the Yogis and they have been taught that their religious tradition is the one true path to the Divine. As a result, they try to find ways to put down the asertions of the other relious faiths. Racism has played a major part in these views also. The Western scholars have often had trouble to admit when the darker-skinned people of India have possessed superior knowledge and technology, spiritual or otherwise. They have devised many theories about knowledge and technology being imported to India by fairer-skinned people to help preserve their sense of the superiority of the Caucasian race. We must be aware that when we promote ideologies that claim that Yoga promotes the use of narcotic substances for the purpose of realization, that we are promoting the racist and reductionist teachings of Christian missonaries sent by the kings of Europe to India in order to destroy Hindu Dharma and convert the Indian people to Christianity. These teachings of the missonaries have penetrated deep and caused great harm to the psyche of the Indian people. But these teachings do not have any support in the orthodox scriptures which universally advocate for the consumption of sattvic substances to support the practice of Yoga and which advocate against intoxication.
It may be tempting for people to imagine that drugs can provide a quick and easy path to genuine spiritual experience, but there are no short cuts in the spiritual path, which is dependent upon a person becoming independent rather than reliant upon external things. There are certain sacred herbs which can support this work, but the inner work must be done, and it is necessary to have knowledge of one's own body and the nature of substances and their effect upon consciousness.
The course will cover:
History and scriptural sources, rajas tamas and sattva, properties of herbs for spiritual awakening, how herbs work, 52 specific herbs useful for awakening, 16 herbal formulas from the sacred texts, caution about endangerment of ayurvedic herbs, substitute herbs - substitute formulas
Swamiji teaches from his vast knowledge of herbs and from his deep meditative experience about the use of herbs to promote spiritual awakening as taught in traditional Ayurveda with reference to the Charaka Samhita, Ashtanga Hridayam, Bhaishajya Ratnavalli and other tradtional Ayurvedic scriptures. Swamiji feels that this is extremely important information to promote now, because many Ayurvedic practitioners are being heavily influenced by the reductionist theories of Western Indiologists and are beginning to recommend marijuana, CBD, and micro or macro dosing with various hallucenogenic substances for healing and to support spiritual practice.
The famous British Historian Michael Woods has quoted the Rigveda about the Soma plant:
“...He covers the naked and heals all who are sick. The blind man sees; the lame man steps forth....Let those who seek find what they seek: let them receive the treasure....Let him find what was lost before; let him push forward the man of truth....” Rigveda Samhita 8-72-2
Of this pasage, Woods commented:
“Such is indicative of an experience with an entheogen of some source”
This is a reductionist explanation which fails to understand and therefor denies the spiritual experience of the Yogis described in the Vedas. Is there any narcotic substance which "heals all who are sick" or which makes the blind see or the lame walk? The Christian Bible tells stories of Jesus healing the blind and making the lame to walk. Do the Christian scholars claim that Jesus was on drugs and and that people were hallucinating when they witnessed these miracles? No. They understand that it would be disrespectful to do so. They claim that Jesus was capable of performing miracles because he was one with His Heavenly Father. Some choose to believe and others choose not to believe, but they do not attempt to disparage the claims of the Christians by claiming that they were mistaken because their mental faculties were dulled by narcotic substances.
The great Yogis, like Jesus, are one with the Lord of all. They have performed many great miracles. This is hard for Westerners to beleive, because they have not witnessed the miracles of the Yogis and they have been taught that their religious tradition is the one true path to the Divine. As a result, they try to find ways to put down the asertions of the other relious faiths. Racism has played a major part in these views also. The Western scholars have often had trouble to admit when the darker-skinned people of India have possessed superior knowledge and technology, spiritual or otherwise. They have devised many theories about knowledge and technology being imported to India by fairer-skinned people to help preserve their sense of the superiority of the Caucasian race. We must be aware that when we promote ideologies that claim that Yoga promotes the use of narcotic substances for the purpose of realization, that we are promoting the racist and reductionist teachings of Christian missonaries sent by the kings of Europe to India in order to destroy Hindu Dharma and convert the Indian people to Christianity. These teachings of the missonaries have penetrated deep and caused great harm to the psyche of the Indian people. But these teachings do not have any support in the orthodox scriptures which universally advocate for the consumption of sattvic substances to support the practice of Yoga and which advocate against intoxication.
It may be tempting for people to imagine that drugs can provide a quick and easy path to genuine spiritual experience, but there are no short cuts in the spiritual path, which is dependent upon a person becoming independent rather than reliant upon external things. There are certain sacred herbs which can support this work, but the inner work must be done, and it is necessary to have knowledge of one's own body and the nature of substances and their effect upon consciousness.
The course will cover:
History and scriptural sources, rajas tamas and sattva, properties of herbs for spiritual awakening, how herbs work, 52 specific herbs useful for awakening, 16 herbal formulas from the sacred texts, caution about endangerment of ayurvedic herbs, substitute herbs - substitute formulas
Swamiji teaches from his vast knowledge of herbs and from his deep meditative experience about the use of herbs to promote spiritual awakening as taught in traditional Ayurveda with reference to the Charaka Samhita, Ashtanga Hridayam, Bhaishajya Ratnavalli and other tradtional Ayurvedic scriptures. Swamiji feels that this is extremely important information to promote now, because many Ayurvedic practitioners are being heavily influenced by the reductionist theories of Western Indiologists and are beginning to recommend marijuana, CBD, and micro or macro dosing with various hallucenogenic substances for healing and to support spiritual practice.