Yoga/Spiritual Almanac

Yogi Nils

Spiritual Almanac (taken from discussions on Internet forums about Yoga, God, religion, mysticism and spirituality)

My personal basis in philosophy is that of happiness. This philosophy is based on the Greek Epicurus and modern research on happiness. I believe striving toward happiness is at the core of human existence. Everyone would like to be happy and to avoid suffering. The highest level of happiness is enlightenment. Enlightenment is at the core of happiness philosophy. You could also describe this as a life in light, or the kingdom of God (paradise).

I’ve searched for a way to lasting happiness my entire life. This path has lead me to the philosophy of Epicurus. Later, I became occupied with Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, and Christianity. I found helpful techniques everywhere among these teachings. Professionally, I was a lawyer first and then a Yoga teacher and a psychotherapist. I am for the unity of religions and the personal way of spirituality for each person. People of all religions should work together toward a happy world. They should speak to one another, and learn from one another.

January

1. The greatest happiness is experienced in a life of light (in God, in enlightened existence) and in all-encompassing love. When one lives with this depth of meaning of life, one no longer needs to search for the meaning of life.

2. The basis of the spiritual way is enlightenment, sainthood, life in light (in the kingdom of God). God is to be found in each and every one of us, and in order to find God one has to change their consciousness, to be aware of God. The important thing is to find peace, love, happiness and joy and to develop them in oneself. The main techniques along the way to enlightenment are meditation and thought work.

3. With meditation, you can find a calm inner state. You can quiet the thoughts with a mantra or prayer, through concentration on an outer or inner point, or through conscious observation and stopping the thoughts. Then peace and calm can exist. What’s fascinating is that with a longer practice of meditation, inner joy and happiness arise as well.

4. Inner peace and happiness arise when you work consistently on your thoughts. When you overcome thoughts and feelings like rage, addiction and fear by stopping the thoughts or by replacing the negative thoughts with positive thoughts. When that is successfully achieved, peace of mind can be obtained. Then the mind can concern itself with positive things. If you concentrate on love, happiness and joy in life and then live these qualities as well, then happiness and joy in life will arise naturally.

5. At some point a change occurs in the spirit. You arrive at a higher level of happiness. You experience life as mainly a happy thing. The more you cleanse your inner being, the greater your happiness can become, until enlightenment is achieved. Enlightenment is a very particular level of the spirit. The spirit is so far removed from negativity, addiction, fear and rage that the light of God can flow within. Enlightenment can be described as existence without attachments, without addictions (the “I am” from Moses, one rests in the simple state of being and is no longer attached to worldly things), as being conscious of God (unity consciousness, one lives in light in the kingdom of God) and as happiness (inner happiness, joy and love). These three characteristics belong together and serve one another.

6. With emphasis on taking the path of inner calm, we can reach a God-consciousness, which means we can find God in inner peace and calm. We can also concentrate on developing a consciousness of unity. We can identify with other people and other beings. We can wish them happiness and help them as much as possible.

7. If you experience other people in a positive way, you know what all-encompassing love is. It develops as an encompassing inner happiness, a unity consciousness of love that at some point leads to enlightenment. Jesus taught the way of all-encompassing love for that reason. He also advised his followers to love their enemies. We can consider our enemies among our own problems and suffering. If we can accept this, see this in a positive light and love, then we have found a way to God-consciousness. In order to enter the kingdom of God, your love must be all-encompassing, unconditional, and practiced constantly. I send all beings light and pray for my fellow humans every day. I work for a world of love, peace and happiness.

8. It’s important to me also remember to enjoy life, to keep joy in life, besides taking the path of inner calm and all-encompassing love. I love myself enough. I do what is fun. I enjoy life every day. I know spiritual exercises with which I can create happiness in myself, in a way comparable to Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. Jesus prayed to God, and visualized God in himself, and meditated (brought his thoughts to a state of calm rest) and came to the light.

9. How do you have fun in life? There are a lot of opportunities to take to create joy in life. It varies from person to person. You can eat something you like, listen to good music, watch a nice film, talk to positive people or chat with them online. You can do something creative, such as making music, painting, and writing, exercising or playing sports or look for a fascinating mission. I like to make videos and to save the world. It’s important to center yourself in your inner happiness first, otherwise everything is superficial and pointless. I also consider which spiritual exercises I need each day in order to arrive at this state of happiness. If you have inner happiness, then joy in life will develop almost by itself. You only need little things to enjoy to experience the beauty of life.

10. Those who see themselves as being responsible for saving the world will never be bored. There is always something to do. It doesn’t have to be anything big. You can speak some kind words to build up other people, or say a prayer for people or save the life of an animal. I can constantly save the lives of frogs, toads and snails. I bless them then. In this way good karma results that will at some point come back to me. I can even send good karma to other people if I have too much. Doing good is a lot of fun, as long as you don’t overwhelm yourself and as long as you are creative about it.

11. The path of a spiritual practice varies from individual to individual. I live as a hermit. For me, the spiritual practice is different than for someone with a career and a family. It is even further removed when you live as a monk or a nun in a monastery. I live according to a spiritual plan for each day. I cleanse my inner being by reading, praying, going for walks, meditating and working. I do everything at the right moment and for the right amount of time so that I am constantly in the state of cleansing. It takes a lot of inner sense and discipline.

12. I had a lot of enlightenment experiences. I have gotten to know the mystery of God. I have risen to high levels of paradise consciousness with my spirit. But I still have a lot to cleanse. One could say that I am still just a poor sinner. I have lived as a hermit for 25 years. The inner cleansing takes a long time for most people. At the moment, I am going through a phase of intense transformation. I live in times of happiness, in times of darkness, and times of inner conflict. I experience my way as being lead by God. Everything seems to follow an exact plan, but I don’t know what lies ahead; the end of the plan.

13. I follow the path of the Christian desert masters. They described exactly how one should live as a spiritual hermit, how one should practice. The main point of the desert fathers is that you should sit in your hut and then feel out an effective way of spiritual practice. This was called “your hut will teach you.” Enlightenment appears basically through the way of rest, love, and thought work. God is to be found in the calm. Modern research in happiness states that calm makes you happy. The art of the spiritual way is to find the correct amount of calm. Too much rest makes one lazy and slow. The desert fathers recommended not only to sit in your hut and wait for the spirit of God, but to work toward this.

14. On the other hand, they warned about too much work. If you stretch a bow to far, it will break. If a hermit or monk is too active on the outside then God cannot come in because God needs calm. The calm must be great enough that the body and spirit can heal from the inner tension. The hermits in the desert had enough calm already due to their isolated life, separate from the outside world. A constantly calm state feels unbearable first, but that is how the process of inner healing can begin.

15. Problems with enough rest result in a monastery. Here there’s the danger one might work too much, or let oneself be distracted by one another, so that the inner process needed for oneself cannot be established, or to lose oneself in external rules. A basic rule of the desert fathers was to work only as much as the space the body needs when it lies down. God is the focus, and not the work. The work should only serve to bring forth a life in God (in light) and to hold onto that. A hermit has to sensitively feel out how much work will take him or her forward toward that goal.

16. On the path to God, a deciding factor is the nature of one’s thoughts. A spiritual person has to find a way to dissolve inner conflict, blockages and false images to the best of his or her ability. He or she has to overcome fear, addiction and rage. This way, at some point in time an inner change will occur and that person will arrive in a state of happiness. In that sense, he or she is healed. The victory over suffering is the awakening of inner light.

17. Having people accompany you in life makes the way easier. Two people can live in love, if they put their relationship together in the right way. Two people can support each other along the spiritual way. They can strengthen one another energetically and mentally. God made man and woman so that they can live together in paradise. The main story in the bible shows that. The mystery is that they can both awaken the kundalini snake that wraps itself around the tree of enlightenment with their love and sexual energy. They were then allowed to eat the apple of enlightenment which stands for unity, oneness and life in God (symbolized through its round shape). I lived without much contact for ten years. Then I realized some contact does me good. It’s wonderful that it’s very simple and easy to get contact with other people over the internet.

18. I’ve tried a lot of different things in my life. I’ve done karate, I’ve gone hiking, went dancing in clubs, went skiing, discussed political topics at events and visited psychology seminars. I had a political, philosophical, a psychological and a spiritual phase. At the moment, everything has rather come to rest. For awhile, I practiced strictly and now I practice more according to how I feel. The only difficult thing for me at present are the extremely powerful kundalini developments. I hope, though, that one day I will get over that phase and simply be in happiness, in peace, love and strength.

19. Western yogis are free to shape their spiritual paths according to their needs. Some live alone, some in a group, and others in a relationship. I live my life in a way that makes me feel well. It’s important for me to have a mission or goal that excites me. I’ve studied a lot of different things, taken various workshops in the spiritual scene and written a lot of books and lead a lot of yoga groups. My path is never boring.

20. I see myself as a mystic who is beyond religions but somehow also finds himself within all of the religions. In enlightenment, I experienced a dimension that can be described as God, nirvana, or unity. I recognized that religions use different names for this state of consciousness. My enlightenment experience allowed me to see the common thread between Christianity and Buddhism. This common thread is the enlightened state of being. Moses could see the light of God in the world (the burning bush) and received knowledge of “ I am “ in God. This “ I am” state is achieved when the ego disappears and when one arrives in unity consciousness. This unity consciousness canbe given the name “Nirvana”. Nirvana means deletion, nothing, emptiness, dissolution of the ego. It isn’t an absolute state of nothingness, rather one arrives in light via this state of nothingness. Nothingness and happiness go together. In Christianity Master Eckhart and Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita (negative theology) worked with this concept particularly.

21. I would like to share with you my kundalini experiences. First there was a very strenuous phase which lasted some five weeks. The chakras opened and the energy started to flow intensely. Every few days I had a short break to recover, then it started up again. Then I had a few weeks of rest. I used that time to mentally prepare myself, which was useful since the whole process started up again. A few times I was really at my wits’ end, really at the limit of what I can take. What bothered me the most were the sleepless nights. I could only get myself through with the help of spiritual exercises.

22. The energy processes vary a lot. The night before yesterday I observed this. I sat in front of the television and felt how the tension in my solar plexus chakra eased. This transformation period took two hours. I had the feeling that my body was being turned inside out. I felt a tugging everywhere, and felt I might break down. I watched very interesting films on TV so that I would be distracted enough from my inner crisis so I could get through it. Ten after 24 hours the energy began to flow through the solar plexus chakra into the body. I felt like I was under an intense electrical charge and couldn’t sleep. But it was a form of happiness energy, so this made it easier to get through.

23. The nightly processes of tension dissolving are varied. They range from painful to enjoyable to a combination. It depends on whether the happiness energy dominates or the dissolving of old tension and problems. Mostly the nights are a mixture of both and are rather difficult. I have to constantly consider which spiritual techniques (visiualization, mantras, meditation, yoga poses) will help me through the process. The right technique dissolves blockages and gets the energy to flow again. Sometimes I have to try one thing for awhile before it starts to work effectively.

24. In bigger conflicts I listen to the help of my masters. Once I thought I wouldn’t make it through the night because I was so exhausted from the strain of the previous days. I fell asleep immediately and felt better, even though the energy flow in my body was so strong I never would have thought I could sleep. One day I needed to get things done that required a lot of inner strength, and that was after a sleepless night. Right before getting out of bed, strength shot through me. I felt like I had the strength of a giant and could use that to get everything done. This was a miracle to me.

25. The energy isn’t just felt by me, but from other people too. A woman visited me as I was at that time working on the energy in me. She was so happy near me that she hardly wanted to go home. As I visited my mother, happiness energy suddenly flowed through me and I was happy to rest in bliss for about an hour. That affected my mother, too. Our conversation was calm and positive.

26. I’m a lazy Yogi at the moment. My yoga consists of a walk while doing breath of fire and mantras. I lay in bed in yoga posititions and meditate. That’s enough for me right now. I am constantly in intense energy processes. My main meditation is watching TV. I am just there and live my life. I connect with God every day and my enlightened masters. I listen to my inner voice and do what it advises me at any given moment. That’s how I get through all of my spiritual crises.

27. There are many bad gurus. I recommend that everyone test the enlightened masters and to follow only the good ones. For me, they are Buddha, Jesus, Patanjali, Laotse and Socrates. Their teachings can help us find our way to light.

28. It began with the awakening of my ability to sense energy in 1986. Since that time, I can feel the energy of other people and help them. In 1987 I started small meditation groups where I also taught positive thinking. At that time, I still worked as a lawyer. After splitting up with my ex wife I gave up my lawyer profession and have lived as a hermit for 25 years. In the course of the last few years I’ve written a lot of texts online in German and English. Many people connect with me mentally and spiritually. I feel their energy, their trust and help them as much as I can.

29. I had a happy family, a nice wife and a lovable son. But life is constant change. Now I live as a hermit. How do you arrive in light? In that you leave material things behind and develop inner happiness. Enlightenment exceeds even the happiness of the happiest family. 30. I’ve recognized that the deepest point of life is to be happy and to live in all-encompassing love. One arrives in all-encompassing love when one works for a happy world. If you have this goal, there is always something to do. Life is never boring and always has a purpose. One just has to see in any given moment, what needs to be done and what one can do.

31. Everyone is allowed to find his own spiritual way. I refer to the enlightened masters and their teachings which inspire me. I can say that I have the feeling my way works for me. I am careful and approach the spiritual path with wisdom. I generally advise following a gentle spiritual way.

February

Patanjali Statue

1. A yogi is a person who practices yoga. Yoga consists of physical and mental, spiritual exercises. The goal of yoga is to develop the self, to find enlightenment. There are many different directions in yoga. Yoga goes beyond religion. Buddha was also a yogi. Even the Christian dessert teachers were yogis.

2. Yoga is there for people, and for that reason needs to be adapted to cultural and personal conditions. The modern western yoga is different from the traditional, Indian yoga. Often, yoga is only practiced as bodily exercise in the west, with the goal of flexibility, health, beauty or relaxation. The spiritual content is missing. That’s a problem for many Indian yoga masters such as Swami Sivananda. For me, it’s OK. Variation is the strength of western yoga.

3. Enlightenment takes place through the dissolving of tension (energy blockages) in the body and spirit. The way to this end varies from person to person and requires a good inner sense for what one needs at any given time. Sometimes extreme exercises and sometimes gentle ones are necessary, depending on the given moment. Rigid dogma is the wrong way. A real enlightened master gives every student exactly what that student needs.

4. I go about finding what does me good along the spiritual path in an undogmatic way. I’m vegetarian and don’t do any drugs (smoking, alcohol and other substances) or gamble. But sometimes I do eat meat when my body needs it. I get a buzz from chocolate or watching TV when my soul needs it. My game is called enlightenment. You never know when you will win and what comes next, and that’s what makes the spiritual way so exciting. What is material gain next to eternal bliss?

5. And what about sexuality? Does a yogi have to do without it? No! For a tantric yogi, sexuality is also a way to God when practiced correctly. It’s important, according to the Hatha yoga principles, that one sticks to moral principles. For me, among the most important are loyalty in a relationship. If a yogi has a relationship, he or she should live by loyalty, love, and honesty.

6. Self-disciplince is important on the path of yoga. Self-discipline is the main way to spiritual success, but one shouldn’t overdo it. Too feel discipline causes tension and energy blockages. One should sense exactly whether discipline is necessary at any given time, or whether being laidback is more appropriate. Staying in an asana for hours can be a good thing or a bad thing. Buddha found that extreme practice makes the body weak and for that reason suggested a middle way. Why should one practice in the extreme cold of a cave in the Himalayas when you can practice in a nice warm house in Germany, with an internet connection? Why rub ashes onto yourself when you can wash yourself with soap? Why hold your breath when you can succeed with simpler exercises?

7. Along the yogic path, one gets great power. The chakras open up, the kundalini energy is activated and spiritual energy develops in an unimaginable way. The spiritual energy is neutral and can be abused. For that reason a yogi should always ground him or herself in love, empathy and humility. Yoga should be combined with positive thinking.

8. A yogi should hold to the ten ground rules of Patanjali. 1. Non-violence (Ahimsa). Don’t hurt or kill others. Be ready for peace, live gently. 2. Truth (Satya) Live in truth. Be honest to yourself and others. 3. Righteousness (Asteya). Don’t steal, cheat or betray. A yogi is honest in his life’s work. 4. Wisdom (Brahmacharya) . Live spiritually, in wisdom(Brahmacharya. Don’t serve money, serve God. Differentiate between the essential and the non-eseential. 5. Simplicity (Aparigraha). Have moderation in what you enjoy. A spiritual person lives modestly on the outside and richly on the outside. A yogi doesn’t use energy on what he does in the outer world, but lives calmly, and turns to the inside and cleanses himself from the inside.

9. Further principles of yoga according to Patanjali: 6: Honoring the spiritual goal (Ishvara, the personal divinity). So that we don’t lose our spiritual way, it’s necessary to concentrate on our spiritual goals, and to refocus on them when necessary. 7. Sacrifice of the Ego. (Saucha, purification/cleansing). Without sacrificing the ego, it’s not possible to come to enlightenment. To sacrifice the ego the right way is an art. Those who sacrifice too much create tension. Those who sacrifice too little don’t dissolve any ego tension or attachments. How do you come to inner peace, inner strength, and all-encompassing love the right way today? What’s the right way for you at this given moment?

10. Further principles of yoga according to Patanjali. 8: Goal-oriented life (Tapas). Tapas means to lead a disciplined life. 9. Self-study. (Swadhyaya). Reading from a spiritual book daily helps us stay on the spiritual way, and makes us spiritual winners.10. Satisfaction (Santosha). Plan your day and your life so that you are satisfied. Which thoughts help you to come to satisfaction?

11. There are gentle and there are extreme spiritual techniques. Extreme exercises can lead to spiritual breakthroughs. It’s important to practice with wisdom. For me, God makes my personal life sufficiently extreme. There are difficult faces to go through, again and again which lead to spiritual breakthroughs. They develop on their own, during my daily life. That’s enough. I generally prefer a gentle spiritual way.

12. There are dogmatic and non-dogmatic people in spirituality. From my perspective, everything has it’s right to exist in the way of spirituality. It depends on whether you use wisdom to find the right path for you personally. Dogamtic people usually have great strength and are consistent along their way. If that’s connected to ego, then it leads to ego, and if connected with wisdom, leads to light. Unfortunately, dogmatic people are usually not able to apply self-awareness to their own situation. We need self-discipline and wisdom along the spiritual way to be successful. I feel out my way each day to find my personal combination of these elements, wisdom and self-discipline.

13. The spiritual path is a free decision. Enlightenment is voluntary. No one is forced into happiness. The free will is respected. However, the brain is like a computer when we look at it closely. The mind is programmed through experiences and our reactions towards them, as well as our thoughts. An inner program comes into being, according to what a person decides. I have had countless experiences in the course of thousands of lives. I thought about life and established happiness as a goal of life. In this life, I read about the philosopher Epicurus and decided to take the path of inner happiness. It was a free decision. But I couldn’t do anything else but decide this, on the basis of what I knew before. According to Laotse, “if the wise learn of the true way, they must take that course. If a fool hears of the way of enlightenment, he laughs out loud. If he isn’t laughing, it isn’t the true spiritual path.”

14. The will of a human is free, to look at it from a very basic perspective. However, people make decisions based on outer impulses and inner programs, depending on the person. In this way, decisions are determined, or pre-determined. Only in enlightenment does a person get true freedom because he or she is free of worldly impulses, attachments and wishes. He or she is happy and in a desireless state because he or she is happy from the inside. This person doesn’t need any material things anymore to be happy. A life in the light of God is enough. He or she can still enjoy material existence if he or she likes though.

15. Enlightenment is consciousness, pure and without an identity. In order to act in the world, a person has to take on an identity. In that case, you’re like a free actor who can decide which role you would like to take. The enlightened always know that it is just a roll. The enlightened are beyond all roles. They can decide to be the good guys or the bad guys. The path of evil strengthens the ego and distances one from light. The way of good encourages inner happiness and love. If you combine love with wisdom and self-discipline, you arrive along the way of good in a life of light. I also believe that you can arrive in light along the path of evil. The path of evil causes you to encounter suffering, to achieve wisdom and then destroys attachments to the world. Before you arrive in enlightenment though, you have to get rid of your bad karma. Many evil people will often become saints or healers in their last lives on earth.

16. I observe in myself that I mostly took the path of good in my earlier lives. For that reason, my mind is basically programmed along the path of good. Once I could decide freely within enlightenment, if I wanted to take on a good or evil identity, I automatically decided on the path of good. So that we have a lot of good enlightened people, the enlightenment path of love should be taught. The enlightenment path of love can take a bit longer than direct enlightenment, but the world benefits greatly from this. In Tibet some thousand years ago there was a conflict between Tibetan Buddhism (way of love) and Zen Buddhism (strict meditation and quick enlightenment). The Tibetan king decided on the way of love. For that reason, Tibetan Buddhism puts a lot of value in a thorough teaching of the mind. Only when a good basis in love and wisdom is achieved, can quick techniques and intensive meditation (three years as a yogi) lead to enlightenment.

17. For me, God is formless, the incomprehensible behind all forms. Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma are just forms of God, just like Jesus, Buddha and Krishna are forms of godly consciousness. I root myself in the formless and use the form of God to bring myself forward in my concrete moments and to lead to light. Sometimes Krishna (the master of love) an inspiring role model, sometimes Jesus (the master of ego sacrifice), sometimes Buddha (the master of peace and calm), sometimes Shiva (the strict yogi), sometimes Brahma (the wise), and sometimes Ganesha ( the God of happiness and joy in life). Another way to see it is that every spiritual role model has all of the important aspects and forms in God in itself.

18. I don’t consider other religions to be less than my own. We should recognize one another as being equal in value. Only in this way can love and peace be built upon. Religious and cultural pluralism is the way in light today.

19. After an intense practice of rune yoga I awoke with a distinct sense of energy. Since that time, I can sense the energy of others and mentally help them. In 1987, I also began to direct small groups in meditation and positive thinking. At the time I still worked as a lawyer. After separating from my ex-wife I gave up my lawyer practice and have lived as a hermit for 25 years.

20. I believe I am lead by God and get all of the necessary help from God. As a former atheist I have experienced some difficulty in believing in God. But I observe that my life is directed in a mysterious way. If a crisis gets too big, I always get some help. Suddenly I can sleep, happiness energy is awakened, a nice person appears, or I can be happy about something. When I have to take care of things in the outside world, the cleansing process is reduced. Every day, an optimal development process takes place that normally challenges me a lot, but doesn’t overwhelm me. And that has been taking place for 25 years!

21. I experience God as an identity-less ”I am”, as a higher consciousness. I can only say that life develops in a certain way that I think is steered. I can’t say who controls this. I think it comes from the enlightened masters I’m mentally connected with. You can see their pictures in this almanac.

22. I see it like this: the enlightened masters comprise a complete consciousness that can help in the cosmos, to take direct action. Normally, this consciousness rests happily within itself. It helps especially when it is asked for help. In order to achieve constant guidance, a daily prayer is very important. I connect with my enlightened masters daily. One can also pray directly to God. It doesn’t matter which name you speak to the higher consciousness with. Important is only that you are serious about receiving real guidance and help. Then you get help so that you go forward spiritually, and not so that all egoistical wishes are fulfilled. I especially recommend to everyone to connect with the higher consciousness daily. Everyone can do that in his or her own way.

23. Important in my view, is that one takes the spiritual way consistently daily. It doesn’t matter which exercises are done. One should feel what one needs and what does one good. It doesn’t have to be any particular or special exercises. The important hing is it should bring you further spiritually. Everything will happen at the right time. A good exercise is a to read daily from a spiritual book, or to pull an oracle card, or to pray, say a mantra, to visualize an image of an enlightened master. Those who have more time can meditate daily, do yoga and go for walks.

24. Being alone is a necessary exercise for me. I have to live alone so that I can develop myself spiritually. But I don’t need to be that strict about it. For me, the middle way is good where I have some contact. Even a relationship isn’t out of the question. I lived the first twelve years as a yogi in a relationship. Then there was a time where my spiritual energy disappeared and I hardly had any energy for a relationship. Now it seems my energy is developing slowling again.

25. Many Christians are afraid of yoga nad meditation. But Jesus was a yogi. He received kundalini energy (the holy Ghost, symbolized through the baptism) by Johnn the Baptist and meditated for 40 days in the desert. He overcame the devil (his ego) and could help other people with spiritual energy (the angels served him). Buddha also meditated and the devil appeared ( his ego) and tried to tempt him. He let go of his worldly attachments and turned to the light and the devil disappeared. The enlightenment stories of Buddha and Jesus are very similar.

26. Principally, the way of inner and outer happiness are opposites. If you take the path of outer happiness, you built up attachments on outer things and other people who will reduce your happiness in the long run. If you go the path of inner happiness, you will reduce and get rid of your attachments. Attachments are inner tension. The more you let go of your inner tension, the more happiness can develop within you.

27. The enlightened masters (God) lead us through our inner voice, to truth. It is important to have constant contact with one’s own voice of truth and wisdom. We should feel within ourselves and ask what is important at that moment along the way of wisdom.

28. Meditation of the inner voice: 1. Sit down in the meditation position (sit Indian style, or in a chair) Close your eyes. Breathe in and out. Relax. 2. Stop all thoughts for a minute and relax. 3. Visualize the earth, move one hand and thin :” I send light. May all beings be happy. May the world be happy.” Send light to suffering people. Use the TV as a window to the world and surround all beings with light. 4. Put your hand on your lap. Imagine yourself as Buddha, Shiva or a goddess. Move your toes and think this mantra : “I am a goddess (Buddha, Shiva) of peace. I take the path of peace. I live in peace.” 5. Visualize the cosmos around you full of stars. Make big circles with your arms and think: “I take things as they are. I let go of my false desires. I flow with positivity in my life.” 6. Connect with the enlightened masters or God. Rub the palms of your hands in front of your heart chakra and think: “om all enlightened masters (God). Om inner wisdom. I ask for guidance and help along my way.”

29. Holy wars take place in many lands of the world and cause suffering. The solution is clear: we have to accept that we live in a world of varied religions. We have to learn to be loving, peaceful, tolerant and non-violent with one another.

March

Swami Shivananda

1. After my enlightenment experience, I recognized that enlightenment is the deeper point of life. Enlightenment is the deliverance from the suffering of life. Enlightenment is the greatest happiness and highest fulfillment. In enlightenment, you realize your true self. Summarized: those who live enlightened, live better. An unenlightened person thinks that he or she will be happier with more money, sex, recognition, consumption and material riches. Only the wise recognize that inner prosperity will make you happier than material prosperity. You can enjoy life and develop spiritually at the same time. There are strict spiritual practitioners and there are moderate spiritual practitioners. I represent the way of the moderate practitioners who have enough fun in life.

2. When you are completely pure inside, God can enter and fill you with peace, love and happiness. In the Bible, it says the human being must choose between God (inner happiness) and money (the way of material happiness). Those who want to go forward spiritually should choose the path of inner happiness.

3. There are various stages of enlightenment. Enlightenment begins with the feeling of harmony with oneself and the world. Then peace, happiness and love appears. Then the stage of dissolving of the “I” consciousness and the presence of the consciousness of unity (God consciousness) comes into being. The highest stage (full enlightenment) is Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the resting in a dimension of highest happiness. This can be considered unity with God, the unity of Shiva and Shakti (the human being and God), or as the highest paradies (Sathyaloka, the place of highest truth). Only once have I reached this state, after my kundalini energy completely unfurled. It rose as a thick ray of energy from the bottom of the pelvis up to the head. Then there was a change of consciousness and I was in highest happiness. I was aware that this was the goal of all souls. The highest goal is not “simple” enlightenment, rather the “full” enlightenment (to be Buddha, or a Jivanmukta).

4. Swami Sivananda: ”Samadhi (enlightenment) is unity. The spirit goes into the eternal, the Atman, like salt in water or camphor in flames. It is a state of pure consciousness. Recognition made in Samadhi is the recognition of God. In Samadhi there isn’t consciousness of the body or of the mind. There is only existence (sat). The one meditating has dissolved his personality in the ocean of God, drowned and forgotten, until he is just a tool of God. When he opens his mouth, he speaks without effort and without consideration through the direct intuition of the word of God, and when he lifts his hand, God streams through it to work miracles.”

5. Samadhi is not a state of dullness, forgetfulness or deletion. It is a state of absolute consciousness that defies every attempt to describe it. It isn’t the end destination of all. It is moksha (freedom, the release from suffering). The human being now rests in his middle- the goal of his search in absolute freedom, independence and perfection.

6. People generally believe Samadhi means to sit with a loincloth in a state of nothingness consciousness in the lotus position. Such Samadhis are brought about through Hatha Yoga kriyas. In Jada Samadhi the prana is moved up high and held in one chakra. Through this one can anchor the self in serenity, strength, love, clarity or unity.

7. Full enlightenment is totally different. There, all doubt, confusion and the three knots avidya (uncertainty), kam (worldly longing) and karma (determination, destiny) are destroyed. It gives fearlessness and an unbreakable state of mind. The Samadhi state also holds firm when taking action. Those who are anchored in complete enlightenment hold the mind and spirit in balance and use them as a service to other people.

8. In Samadhi, the cleansed spirit goes to God and becomes God consciousness. To know Brahman means to become Brahman. When the spirit becomes Brahman, it also dissolves the world, which is a creation of the spirit, in the Brahman and the spirit becomes Brahman. In this experience darkness and emptiness do not exist. There is only light. It is an experience of unity, and oneness. Time and space cease to exist, there is only eternity. You become all-knowing and all-powerful. You know the mystery of creation. You have achieved immortality, higher knowledge and eternal bliss. Every duality disappears, there is no subject and no object.

9. When you are rooted in the highes Nirvikalpa Samdhi, you don’t have any body consciousness. You have the full awareness of Brahman. There is nothing other than the self. It is a wonderful experience. You are full of reverence. It is a state that one must achieve through one’s own efforts. It is without end, complete and an experience from existence and pure consciousness. When you have this experience , the mind, wishes, activities and feelings of joy and worry disappear.

10. Samadhi gives moksha. That is the high point of yoga. With the recognition of the self, uncertainty disappears. With the disappearance of the main reason for the uncertainty, the ”I” thinking disappears. The yogi now has knowledge of the past and future, as well as from the present. Everything is “now”. Everything is “here”. Time and space do not matter anymore.

11. A person who comes out of Samadhi can still live like they did before, but their consciousness is greatly changed. No one can reach Samadhi until they are a pure soul. You have to have a pure heart. The spirit has to be full cleansed. Only then is the person ready to receive the light of God. You have to be strong enough to take the pressure of a sudden consciousness expansion and to be able to tolerate a cosmic viewpoint.

12. Deep meditation leads to Samadhi, to being one with God. Contemplate God. Fill your spirit with God. Identify your spirit with God. The way you think, is the way you will be. Think yourself godly and you will become that. Be silent. Recognize yourself. Let your spirit go into God.

13. The leadership through the inner voice of wisdom is very important. Only this way can you tell what the wrong and right techniques are. The same techniques can be in one moment wrong, and the next minute the right ones. If you don’t progress spiritually, then that is an indication of a wrong method of practicing. In contrast, if you arrive in light, love, happiness, peace, and truth and strength, then you are doing the right things.

14. The real fulfillment of life can be enjoyed with a positive psyche only. Those who are enlightened recognized their world as a paradise. The small things are enough to make great joy. God is fulfillment but only a fulfillment that comes from the inside. It is important to also flow positively with life, go with the flow, and to not become attached to material things. ;-)

15. Even in the western world we can realize our inner happiness and come to enlightenment. We don’t have to live as strict hermits away from the world in order to do that. Through the grace of the enlightened masters it’s possible without the most extreme circumstances. They can give us energy, wisdom, strength and love that we can use along our way. When we connect to an enlightened master of our choice every day and do enough spiritual exercises then we can grow in this material world, also spiritually. Particularly we can arrive in paradise after death. That is a great gift. Those who understand can practice master yoga every day by calling to the enlightened, praying, using an oracle and reading.

16. Some people proceed best along the spiritual path when they are strict about it, as monks, nuns, hermits, yogis or desert dwellers. According to Amritanandamayi, you come to enlightenment five times faster when you live along. Asceticism isn’t the only spiritual way. Only a few people are able to live this way. I believe in reincarnation. Most people develop in the course of many lives. There is also a way to spiritually cleanse on the other side. In Amitabha Buddhism, there is a paradise in between lives where you can develop slowly to the highest state of nirvana (happiness, light, God). This paradise in between is basically what one usually thinks of paradise in Christianity.

17. You can always develop further spiritually. After enlightenment, there are also a lot of stages of enlightenment. According to my experience there is a stage of unity consciousness, and after that the stage of omni-presence, all-knowingness, and all-powerfulness. Swami Sivananda describes these states as the signs of full enlightenment. One can deal everywhere and help people everywhere, also from other dimensions. This happens according to my experience through thinking, visions, dreams, energy transfer (giving peace, strength, love, happiness, wisdom). Before you achieve these powers, there is a long path to take. I observed in myself that these abilities develop slowly. I am still at the beginning.

18. The greatest meaning in life is experienced through the way of enlightenment and the way of love. The way of enlightenment is developed through deep potential for happiness. You live in unity, harmony, and light. That gives you a deep feeling of meaningfulness. Those who live in love, experience life as full of meaning. If you are searching for meaning in your life, then you should concentrate on these points.

19. Material happiness is an illusion. True happiness is only obtained through enlightenment. Enlightenment is the deeper meaning of life. True happiness remains even when unfortunate things occur in life. That destroys the illusion of outer happiness. Buddha taught life is mainly suffering. In Christianity, the cross is the main point of focus. Along the way of inner happiness, you open your inner sources of happiness and rise above all outer suffering one day. There are many ways to enlightenment. Find the way that fits you and works best. Principally happiness arises through spiritual practice like yoga, walking, meditating and thinking positively. It is helpful to have an enlightened master.

20. Without sacrifice, you can’t break through into the light of enlightenment. The sacrifice of the ego and incorporating the self into the will of God (will of life, the universe). Letting go of the ego and sacrificing the right way is a great art. If you sacrifice incorrectly, you create more tension. We shouldn’t let go of too much at once and not too little either. If done correctly, you let go of inner tension. I am creative about my rituals of ego sacrifice. I can tell what I need at any given time and what will work best. To do this with wisdom, you need to think about a situation exactly and consider what the best way is at the time. In this way, you give up your ego. It’s similar to a sacrifice of love, where you give something or someone up because you love them. I prefer sacrificing for something I like. If I don’t like a situation, I eat so many sweets that I can tolerate the situation, or I watch TV until I’ve forgotten all of the suffering in my life.

21. There once was a king who wanted to realize his inner happiness. His priests explained to him that a five- fold renunciation was necessary. First, the king renounced his kingdom. He moved into a forest and lived as a yogi. The second thing he gave up was sexuality. He lived without a relationship in order to effectively put his energy into his spiritual exercises. That was the biggest sacrifice for him. The third thing he gave up were his thoughts. He meditated a lot and lived in peace. The fourth thing he gave up was his “me” consciousness.He let go of his ego and went through the great emptiness and landed in light. It feels unpleasant when the ego is destroyed. But behind that unpleasantness, awaits inner happiness. Those who know that, can easily let go of their ego. The king enjoyed the happiness of enlightenment for a time. Then he thought on the suffering of his fellow humans. They didn’t know the way to inner happiness. They needed an enlightened helper to show them the way to inner peace, love and happiness. The king sacrificed his lone enjoyment of happiness and went back to his kingdom. He helped a lot of people along the spiritual way. He lived as a hatha yogi with constant practice, as a karma yogi of great love and a bhogi yogi in immeasurable happiness in a constant consciousness of paradise (in God, light, unity consciousness). The fifth thing he sacrificed proved to be the biggest source of grace in his life.

22. The best spiritual exercise is the exercise that brings you forward in any given moment. That could be reading from a spiritual book, a nice walk in the woods, meditation, meeting a spiritual person. Siddhasana can be a good exercise for advanced yogis. I reached the Nirvikalpa-Samadhi when laying down. The kundalini energy shot out of the skull chakra and into the heaven and came back in a big circle with a standing yoga exercise. Then I was integrated into the unity of the cosmos at a deep level. When walking the holy Ghost of God came to me and went into me. I received a holy energy baptism like the first baptism of Christ at Pentecost. The fire built itself around my head of energy. I was aware that I was blessed and lead by God. These were all very simple exercises that brought a high level of success. The spiritual way doesn’t need to be complicated. It’s enough to go walking regularly, a bit of yoga, some meditation, and reading daily in a spiritual book in addition to consistent thought work, positive thinking.

23. You can activate kundalini energy with spiritual exercises. You can come to a state of strength, serenity, and happiness. You can put so much strength into your erxercises that you go above and beyond all of your problems. Physical yoga exercises are helpful, as well as God- Yoga (visualizing God), kundalini meditaion and working with negative thoughts such as fear, rage and addiction. You have to see inside yourself which technique will work for you best in which moment.

24. Working with kundalini energy is a process not well known in the west. But it is the strongest energy a person has within him or herself. When it develops, a cleansing process often accompanies it for a longer or shorter period of time, as I am going through currently. There are some reports over such processes in spiritual literature. The most well-known is the Gopi Krishna. Gopi Krishna (1903-1984) was an Indian yogi, mystic, academic and author. After he awoke to kundalini energy at the age of 34, he began to research the phenomen of Kundalini energy. According to his own accounts, he perceived streams of light, heard otherworldly sounds, and moved into a boundless state of consciousness.

25. The American David Ramon Hawkins (1927-2012) was a doctor and a psychiatrist. He had uncommon supernatural experiences of hell, happiness and godly peace. He was an alchoholic and reached a point where he didn’t know what to do. He called to God, “if there is a God, I ask him to help me now.” He fell unconscious and woke up as an enlightened person the next day. The enlightenment leap helped him to spontaneously heal from addiction and also from 15 chronic illness. He dissolved his personal ego. He needed 30 years to integrate this consciousness leap.

26. The development of kundalini proceeds in various ways. According to Indian teachings, it has its own intelligence and does what each person needs. You can say that the cleansing process is controlled by God. You are challenged, but will not be overwhelmed by the process.Jesus’ kundalini energy was activated through John the Baptist. Then it developed in the desert for 40 days so that Jesus could only meditate in the desert. Finally, his ego let go (the devil) in a last temptation and Jesus received healing powers (the angels served him). Such a fast kundalini development is possible for great enlightened souls who have incarnated on earth. That is also how it took place for Holy Antonius, the founder of the desert fathers and Christian hermits. He reported demons which harassed him for years.

27. In 1986 kundalini energy was awakened after an intense enlightenment experience. Since that time, I’ve found myself in a state of constant cleansing. I’m going through another time of transformation now. The first five weeks were really difficult. Then it calmed down a bit. Every day I went through an intense cleansing process from morning until night, and only sometimes did the kundalini energy unfurl. This is how it was just yesterday and the day before yesterday. The day before yesterday I felt very restless.At 3 in the morning I realized the kundalini energy was very active. I could feel a strong charge in myself that kept me from sleeping. After 24 hours this energy flowed through me until it suddenly disappeared. This energy was really powerful. I could only concentrate and try to go with the flow in a positive way. I meditated on the suffering in myself in the world. This way, I received a lot of inner strength and could get through the cleansing process.

28. (Quote Wikipedia): In Tantric writings, kundalini is described as etheric power in humans. According to these writings, this energy is resting under the lowest part of the spine and is symbolically portrayed as a coiled snake sleeping in the lowest chakra.Through yogic practice, it can be awakened and rise through the chakras and cause transformation. If it reaches the highest chakra, it unites with the cosmic spirit and brings highest happiness to the person experiencing the transformation. Certain phenomena are described as appearing with the rising kundalini. Among these include heat waves, a feeling of warmth, cold spells, ticks (unintended shaking, trembling), chronic and temporary pain in the whole body, numbness of hands and feet, laughing, crying and ecstatic happiness.

29.(Quote from Sahaja): According to the old sources, kundalini is the most subtle, holy and powerful energy in the universe. Kundalini isn’t a modern discovery, it was already described thousands of years before Christ. Shri Mataji Nirmali Devi explained Kundalini as the energy of the godly wish to become one with God again. This energy has been at work since the beginning of time and moves evolution forward. Knowledge of kundalini provides a bridge between creation and evolution theories. Kundalini is the godly power which controls evolution. In the western tradition this power has been called the Holy Ghost. If a person is pure in his or her inner being, they achieve freedom, Moksha when the Kundalini awakens. This full freedom occurred with Buddha as he had let go of all attachments and temptations before his self-realization. If the kundalini energy is awakened in “imperfect” people, the various chakras start to cleanse.Sat-Chit-Ananda-the truth, the consciousness, permeates everything and makes pure joy a reality.

30. Enlightenment goes beyond normal perceptions of happiness, joy and suffering. It is a higher level of happiness that brings great inner peace with it. One can also achieve highest happiness using certain techniques. That’s what I consider Samadhi. You can rest in highest happiness on the other side (highest paradise, satyaloka). You can use your body on earth to develop a strong happiness energy. Anandamayi Ma rested in enlightenment unity consciousness in her life. She practiced intensive Hatha and divinity yoga as well as meditation for six years. She reached immeasurable happiness this way. It’s particular to the experience on earth to also be able to go through great suffering. But you can use your body and spirit to develop inner happiness, peace, power and love.

31. I am a yogi. Buddha was a yogi. I can also practice buddhist techniques. As a yogi, I believe in Ramakrishna (neo-Hinduism) and the unity of all religions. I can use exercises from different religions and consider all religions to be good. The different religions have different names for God. In Buddhism, the term Nirvana is used. God is the highest dimension of consciousness that you experience in enlightenment. (Light, unity). God as a person is my enlightened master and an avatar like Krishna and Jesus. They can help me with their abilities to see all, know all, and to be all-powerful to help me along the spiritual way and help lead me to light.

April

Amitabha in Sukhavati Paradise

1. In Christianity you practice gratitude. If you practice gratitutde every day, your happiness increases. The American happiness researcher Sonja Lyubimirsky stated you can increase your general level of happiness in life by 40% if you think positively on a consistent basis. Sonja recommends exercising regularly, to eat healthy and to meditate 20 minutes every day.

2. A clear line to a goal is important. We should practice in a goal-oriented way. We have to be clear about the goal of inner happiness, enlightenment, a life in light and to concentrate on God. Then we can find exercises that bring us forward personally. We can do exercises from various religions without losing ourselves in them. We should listen to our inner voice of truth to lead us. If we are confused by the diversity of religions, we should concentrate on one religion. But one can also lose the way with a single religion because there are traps everywhere along the spiritual way. The biggest traps are dogma and personally being more dedicated to a worldly orientation, being more concerned with material reality in secret.

3. Honesty with oneself is the basis of the spiritual path. Everyone has negative characteristics, it’s important to work on them. Pride is the most dangerous characteristic on the spiritual path because it can exist even after enlightenment. Arrogance is overcome with humility and through love. We see the suffering in the world and in our own lives. Then we can live with modesty. We recognize our unity with all beings, wish every being happiness and thus overcome our ego-centric nature.

4. Tension is in the body and spirit. For the body we need physical exercise, and for the spirit we need spiritual and mental exercise. If both areas are cleansed enough, inner happiness arises. The mistake western psycho-therapy makes is to concentrate on just the mind or the body. The way to success to combine both, and the spirit. In my positive thinking groups I’ve always also meditated. In my yoga groups, I’ve always released blocked feelings like fear, rage, sadness and addiction and practiced positive thinking. Trauma is best released through mental exercises, physical exercise, lots of rest and lots of love. Along the yogic way, through the years, past trauma is released. With me, first traumatic experiences from this life and then from past lives appeared, and I relived them again and then they disappeared.

5. Yoga of love (bhakti yoga, karma yoga) is a way to do yoga exercises while combining them with the energy of love. Yoga also possesses a power to cleanse and can lead you to enlightenment in a simple way. Yoga of love awakens the love in you, and brings you to a life in light and love. 1. Find a spiritual role model you like and trust. 2. Connect to this role model daily. 3. Send light and love to all people regularly. 4. Feel connected to your role model while you do your yoga exercises. 5. Wish for happiness for all beings, as well as love and peace.

6. Samadhi means happiness, in my view, which is experienced in deep meditation and enlightenment. Moses practiced kundalini yoga and reached enlightenment. It is also implied that he threw his staff (kundalini channel) onto to the earth (he earthed himself), the staff then changed into a snake (the kundalini energy rose) which gave him special powers. Kundalini yoga is the basis of Judaism and Christianity, even if only a few Christians realize that. They don’t understand the symbolic language of the bible. In paradise, the kundalini snake wrapped itself around the tree of enlightenment (the kundalini channel). Jesus also practiced meditation on the mountain. He arrived quickly in light and could see Moses and Elia (two desert yogis).

7. You don’t have to know the term kundalini to practice kundalini yoga. If you look closer at Christian and Jewish teachings, you will find a lot of techniques of kundalini yoga. Jacob wrestled with God and put his hands on his hips. That is a yoga technique to awaken kundalini energy. To visualize God is a technique of kundalini yoga, just as it is kundalini yoga to connect with the saints and angels or to visualize paradise with a tree. To see two trees in paradise means to activate both of the side channels. To bless other people with light will get the light flowing in yourself as well.

8. There is only one energy, one light, one God, one Holy Ghost. The spiritual energy can be awakened in many different ways. Kundalini yoga is the way to activate the middle energy channel. That’s one of the quick ways to enlightenment, but isn’t the only one. The energy of God can also flow from the heavens through the crown chakra or fill the heart chakra or appear when a person is grounded well. One of the ways to ground yourself is to go for a walk.

9. In yoga, there’s a technique where you can consciously leave the body. Advanced yogis can die when they consider the point in time to be correct. When the soul leaves the body through the skull chakra, it ascends to heaven. The body then dies within three days. In Tibetan Buddhism there is training to learn how to do this. In Amitabha Buddhism you visualize a golden Buddha Amitabha above the crown chakra in heaven, in order to ascend there with a mantra. I believe that at some advanced point in time in yoga, you automatically get the ability to consciously leave the body and consciously die. Pyar Troll tried that once in meditation, arrived in highest paradise and then didn’t want to leave. Only the love of his followers brought him back to earth.

11. You advanced quickest along the way that is best for you. Many yogis like to live very disciplined and strict lives. I prefer the middle way. Swama Sivananda gave his students either the way of karma yoga (love), of hatha yoga (body exercises), of jnana yoga (wisdom, contemplation, “who am I?” ), of raja yoga (meditation) or of bhakti yoga (honoring God and masters), depending on the personalities of said students. Some students he recommended take a strict way, others a more gentle approach. Generally speaking, the students advanced more when being consistent.

11. I don’t believe it’s necessary to sacrifice chocolate in order to come to enlightenment. Enlightenment requires an inner departure from the world more so than a complete outer renunciation. If you become attached to worldly enjoyment and have worldly wishes, your energy goes to the outer world. You rest in the inner happiness of enlightenment when the energy is directed inwards and can collect there. Outer renunciation can be helpful so that the spirit isn’t always occupied by material things. For me, it was important to destroy all attachment. I had to give up sex as a part of that.

12. Generally, I prefer a medium spiritual way. You should center yourself in God and not in the outer world, but joy in life can be helpful for the spiritual way. The important thing is to enjoy everything in the right amount and right way. I eat chocolate every day to motivate myself for the spiritual way. I can take the spiritual approach when it’s connected to worldly joy. A tantra yogi is allowed to eat meat and have a relationship. In enlightenment, there is no more separation between the world and God. Everything is light and can be a help or a hindrance along the spiritual way.

13. We need a lot of yogis in the west. I teach a simple way that can be practiced by everyone. I’ve developed my yoga style in a simple way for normal people who attend the night school where I teach. No one needs to be super- strict. It’s enough to live according the five basics of health (some exercise, healthy diet, avoid harmful substances, enough relaxation, positive thinking).

14. According to the Indian philosophy, we’re living in the Kali Yuga era, the era of the ego and suffering. This era will be stopped someday by the golden era. In order for this to happen, all good people have to do something. With the support of God, the efforts of good people will make it succeed. God’s support is already reinforced by many enlightened masters, angels, saints. He sent them to earth to achieve the victory of the good. Important is that humankind overcomes its extreme ego. This is what the enlightened masters are working for.

15. You have to let go of the world to come to the level of light. You have to make the glass of worldly wishes empty so that God can fill it with light. In the Bible, it says that you have to basically choose between God (inner happiness) and money (worldly happiness). Buddha taught that attachment on worldly pleasures has to be let go of in order to come to nirvana. The spiritual energy of a person can flow into the outside world, or can collect on the inside. In yoga, living away from the world and getting a lot of rest is important. You can live within the world, and be departed from it on the inside. According to my experience, you can enjoy material pleasure to encourage your inner happiness. I prefer to take a medium, moderate spiritual approach.

16. After I had lived as a yogi for seven years, I was suddenly overcome by the desire to know about my previous lives. I sent my senses back in time and felt a resonance at a certain time. Then a certain resistance appeared, then I felt, saw even closer. One after another, I mentally sensed four earlier lives. I could recognize the place, time and also the nature of these previous lives. In yoga, you use spiritual exercises systematically to get rid of tension in the body and mind. Then one day you can access stress situations from earlier lives. Traumatizing and particularly stressful events remain in the spirit , and when you get rid of tension, the situations which caused you stress before appear in dreams or when you are awake as short scenes that are viewed in the mind’s eye. The processes of dissolving tension are often combined with bodily reactions like restlessness, muscle shivers, heat or cold waves.

17. For me, first the tension from my present life dissolved. In film-like scenes in my mind’s eye, I saw stressful exam situations, relationship conflicts and accidents I wanted to forget. As I could still remember what had caused me stress, the connection between the spiritual exercises and the letting go of inner tension and the appearance of dreams and images was apparent to me. I learnt to differentiate between dreams that came as a result of the exercises and dissolving of tension, and normal dreams. After 11 years as a yogi, suddenly earlier lives appeared in my mind. First, only single earlier lives appeared, then suddenly many came to the surface of my consciousness. After four years the process began to dissipate. In contrast to the intentional attempt to learn about my past lives, now I was seeing short films play before my eyes. I recognized the details of the stress situations and the surroundings I was in. In some pictures I could see some geographic and landmarks of what era I was in. In the course of my spiritual cleansing processes, I have seen some thousands of earlier lives.

18. After my last relationship came to an end, I lived alone for ten years. For three years I’ve met a lot of friends over the internet. I think that’s very nice. It’s easier to be happy when you have at least one good friend. It’s important to be positive and honest when communicating with one another so that both friends can grow spiritually and have harmony, love and truth with one another and within each of themselves.

19. I was just at the drug store. An Indian woman works there as a cashier. At first, I thought it was Mother Meera sitting there. She is about the same size and same age. The Indian woman had strong spiritual energy. I think she also sensed me, too. I didn’t say that I live here as a yogi and am a yoga teacher. (Maybe then she would have tried to make me her house priest) I wondered where she got such strong energy. She probably does her spiritual rituals daily, like most Indian woman. She connects with her enlightened masters and is guided by them daily. She probably does her job as karma yoga. She doesn’t do it to earn money, but as service to other people. She greets every customer warmly and talks to each one. She builds up her customers emotionally. I felt stronger emotionally after talking to her. I smiled after visiting. I should go to that shop more often.

20. This last night I had another cleansing crisis. Strong energies flowed through me and I couldn’t sleep. My psyche was ready to break down. I considered what techniques might help. I oriented myself around God-Yoga. I connected my energy with the death goddess Kali with the chain of skulls around her neck. I sacrificed myself in my suffering. I then connected with the goddess of strength Durga, who rides on a Tiger. I identified with her, and received a lot of energy. Then I saw myself as the goddess of happiness, Lakshmi in order to connect with inner happiness. As Sarasvati, I centered myself in wisdom to get through the difficulties. Finally, I was Sri Devi, the mother of all beings. I sent all beings light and so arrived in the dimension of all-encompassing love. The five goddesses activated my kundalini energy and gave me the power to get through the difficult times. I let go of the five goddesses in that I made it clear that God is pure consciousness and above all identities. You can dissolve the goddesses in God, or let their energies play out and disappear on their own.

21. God-yoga (role model yoga) is the highest form of yoga. The four main goddesses in yoga are Durga (the power goddess on the tiger), Kali ( the black goddess with the sword), Sarasvati (the wise goddess with the book), and Lakshmi (the happiness goddess with the giving hands.) Durga is the goddess of strength. She rides a tiger or lion. She has the strength of a tiger. Whatever she decides to do, she accomplishes. She is a winner. We stretch both fists high, shake them and think of the word “strength” until we feel the strength of Durga within. Kali is the black goddess with the sword. She cuts off Shiva’s head (her own head). She sacrifices her ego and thus comes to inner peace. She gets through the overcoming of all attachments, and over her own body and comes to a life in light. Sacrifice your ego. Put your hands in your lap. Rub your right foot and then your left foot in a circle against the earth, feel and visualize the ground beneath you and think :” I let go of my false wishes. I accept the suffering in my life. I flow positively with life.” What do you need to let go of today? What do you want to accept today? What is your way of ego-sacrifice and inner peace?

22. A lot of people experiment with contact to spirits on the other side. In shamanism, you call dead relatives or protective spirits. In Satanism, you connect with satan to get his power and strength. Channeling lets you connect with angels and ascended masters and for them to speak through you. You don’t know if you’re dealing with good or bad spirits. A woman told me once that she became possessed by a devil when channeling who steals her strength and is impossible to get rid of. What can you do in such situations? You can connect with higher spirits like Jesus, Krishna or Buddha who are obviously good and enlightened. Then you get help. You can concentrate on positive characteristics such as peace, love, wisdom and happiness. Then at some point fear and negative beings will get weaker. You can also orient yourself around the fact that there is only God, and that God is in everything that appears and everything can and will be dissolved in pure consciousness one day.

23. How do you solve the problem of fear of the devil at a deep level? By destroying him, which is done by having a non- dualistic image of God. God is above the devil. God is enlightenment consciousness of peace, love and happiness. God is pure light. God is knowledge of unity. Those who rest within God know there is no devil and no demons. Fear of the devil can be overcome by achieving an enlightenment consciousness. If you don’t have any more thoughts, then fears and devils disappear. There are two basic techniques for this. If you get afraid by thinking of the devil, then concentrate on God, and become one with God. This can also be achieved through a prayer to God, Jesus or an enlightened master you trust. Pray as long as you need to come to the pure light of God. Another way is to do a resting meditation and allow all of your fears to come and go as they wish. They will then play out and disappear on their own. Both techniques of prayer and meditation are good to combine.

24. I don’t believe in curses. Those who go with God are protected. If someone curses you, then connect with God or an enlightened master through a prayer. Pray for those who curse and send them light. In that way, no curse can reach you. Today, every person is confronted with negative energies. We have to learn to deal with that in a positive way. When there’s a problem in your life, it doesn’t necessarily come from a curse. There are problems in every life, and they help you to inner growth.

25. Saint Patrick, the missionary of Ireland was constantly attacked by evil sorcerers. They couldn’t do anything to him because he had protected himself with a prayer (lorica prayer): “I call to God to protect me from the sorcery of the women and smiths and druids. Christ protect me against poison, against fire, water, wounds. Christ be with me, Christ me in front of me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ under me, Christ above me, Christ to the right, Christ to the left, Christ be where I lie, Christ be where I sit, Christ where I stand, Christ be in the heart of everyone, Christ be in the mouth of all those who speak of me, Christ be in the eye of those who see me, Christ be in every ear that hears me.”

26. Overcoming negative energies is often hard work that takes a long time. Continue consistently on the way of light and everything will be good. Things will get easier, and problems will disappear. The important thing is you work with your thoughts and bring them to rest. Then positive thinking and meditation can take place. Through the way of light you can dissolve all negative energies that affect you from the outside. When you accept the suffering in your life calmly and concentrate on the good in life, you can also be happy in a life that is constantly changing on the outside.

27. The kundalini energy has been rather extreme for me for the last two months. I am exhausted, but I still manage to get through the crises. At the moment, things have calmed a bit and there is a certain happiness energy present. I switch between states of happiness and inner cleansing. The happiness energy is slowly growing. I consider my life blessed.

28. I cleanse myself regularly with my walks, through meditation, by reading spiritual texts and with my work for a happy world. I am constantly in a cleansing and growth process. Every day I connect with my enlightened masters and listen to my inner voice. In this way, I am lead through life in an optimal way. Negative energies are cleansed on their own. Happiness, peace and love develop. It’s important that I bring many elements of joy into my life every day.

29. Beware of the false gurus in every religion. They bring only messages of violence, material riches and separation. They work for their egos and take advantage of their followers. They are very clever. We can only see through them using a lot of wisdom. We should take note of the fruits of their efforts. Do they harvest the fruits of peace, love, happiness and enlightenment? Or is it hate, war and ego? Do they tolerate other opinions or do they accept only their own? A true mystic lives in wisdom and love. He or she radiates truth and love.

30. The TV asana is one of my favorite exercises. I can manage it for three hours, though normally two hours are enough. If you watch TV with enough inner sense, you can also come to enlightenment that way. For me, TV has become a type of meditation. Watching TV and going for walks regularly are my Buddha way to light. The important thing when watching TV is that you see through the negative thoughts and attachments and let go of them. Watching TV can be an intense spiritual training that helps you to overcome various material attachments. How do you get rid of material addiction? By recognizing that enlightenment is better than the rich and beautiful. God is bigger than TV. Those who recognize that work toward a life in light, for inner peace and all-encompassing love.

May

The Hindu Goddess Parvati

1. Love is on its way. Yesterday evening, a blockage in my heart chakra let go. In this way, my front energy channel opened. I felt such a strong cleansing in the channel from the forehead over the heart chakra to the tips of the toes that I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. Then suddenly the energy became weaker, and I fell into a restless sleep that I woke up from several times. After waking up for the day, I went for my walk in the woods, to get moving and use the energy for something. Then I meditated for an hour, and now I feel better.

2. I’ve been posting fairytales in an esoteric forum daily, as of late. Today I posted the Rossmann’s Magic Harp. In the original version, a man with a blocked heart chakra falls in love with an angel and chaos ensues. He has to choose between his wife and the angel. If we see the angel as the ambassador of God, the man has to choose between God (enlightenment) and the outside world. He decides on his wife, but is never really happy. That’s how it is once you’ve gotten to know great happiness just once. But according to my experience, you can make compromises. You should take the spiritual path as the main point of your life. If a relationship is lived out wisely, then it can be a way of light and support both partners on the spiritual way. Then at some point, both live in light, in paradise and in all-encompassing love and in God. That would be my end for the fairytale.

3. What is the spiritual meaning of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty? Those who want to come to enlightenment and a life in God and light first have to work with their thoughts. They have to put their thoughts in order, and make a golden carpet of happiness from their thoughts. They have to think positively and should think of the characteristics of inner peace, love, wisdom, self-discipline and joy of life and train these characteristics. That’s what the German version of the story tells us.

4. The daily work with ones thoughts are symbolized by the spinning wheel. Those who work on their thoughts enough will come to a point in time where the chakras open. The spiritual energy begins to flow. Then it’s time to emphasize meditation. When Sleeping Beauty sleeps, it means she is meditating. She meditates on the kundalini energy that woke her up through a prick on the finger. In yoga it is called the bite of the kundalini snake. A chakra in the finger or point of the toe opens through the grace of God (or a wise woman). The enlightenment energy flows gently and continuously into the person. It is a great blessing when such takes place. The person is blessed with enlightenment. Then that person needs to just wait and do their spiritual exercises regularly. Sleeping Beauty slept for 100 years.

5. When the time is right, the roses start to bloom and the prince appears. Sleeping Beauty is kissed awake through God (light, the Holy Ghost) and the mystic wedding can take place. The mystic wedding consists of three steps: cleansing, enlightenment, and unity. The person is filled with light, feels his world is full of light and his or her ego is dissolved and he or she lives in light and in a paradise of the consciousness. He or she recognizes the roses of love in the world. He or she concentrates on the good and beautiful, and remains in light.

6. I’ve lived as a yogi for 25 years and have worked toward enlightenment. Along the way on the mountain of happiness, I’ve encountered a lot of swamps, steep paths and dark forests. I hide at night mainly to grow spiritually. Somehow I always manage to get enough sleep, but it’s a difficult and strenuous time.

7. The divine source has opened. It bubbles with joy. It brings darkness into light. I dissolve it through meditation and positive thinking. When negative images from earlier lives appear, I let them play out and go through the rage and sadness, become one with all of the monsters, enemies from earlier lives, and they dissolve. If you block your fear, it becomes stronger. If you sacrifice yourself to yourself, the fears disappear. And suddenly the little yogi comes to light.

8. Yesterday, my musician friend from Berlin came to visit. His mother lives nearby. He visits her every three months and then comes to visit me too. He gets yoga cookies with chocolate and a cup of coffee. We get along well. He tells me about his life as a musician. I tell him the latest details from my wild yogi life.

9. There once was a woman who was searching for happiness. One day she came to a big forest and met an old yogi there. The old yogi was nice and she fell in love with him. She fell in love with his spiritual self. She learnt through love to get to know herself better. By loving the old yogi, she found her way to herself. The yogi showed her his big forest, the wild animals and the sun in the sky. In the spring they planted flowers of love. The whole summer long, flowers bloomed of all different types. Their life was full of color, sun and the singing of the birds. In the fall, they were overjoyed at the sight of the mushrooms in the forest. In the winter, they loved the snow and clear air. They talked about God, spirituality and love. They were happy with one another. One day, they both awoke in light. They lived in light, in God, and in love. Many people came and visited them. And if they haven’t died yet, then they still live today and give the gift of the flowers of light and of love.

10. There are enlightened masters in every religion, who teach the unity of all religions and don’t mind mixing belief systems. In Christianity, the Catholic priest Bede Griffiths that only all of the religions together can give way to the complete picture. In Hinduism, Ramakrishna practiced all of the major religions and recognized they all lead to enlightenment. The Tibetan Buddhism is a mixture of many different Hindu teachings connected with the way of Buddha.

11. I compared my enlightenment with the teachings of Jesus, Buddha and yoga. I recognized that all of the major religions are based around an enlightenment experience. You could also call this a God experience. The basis of all religions on a deeper level is mysticism, I am convinced of it. I have also recognized the fact that religions have varied points of emphasis and varied energies and I need the energy of every religion. According to the teachings of yoga, you can follow the masters of various religions. You can follow your own favorite mix.

12. Rumi (sufi mystic): If you do things from your soul, then you will be in harmony with yourself. Then you will feel joyful.

13. Nils: Hello Karl, how is your enlightenment developing? Karl: Personal progress is always interrupted by doubt. The need for calm is growing, and the silence is as well, and listening to the depth of my heart. I melt into the universe, into everything. I overcome dualism, also time and space.

14. Nils: I’ve met a woman over the internet whom I write emails with daily. Sometimes we talk on the telephone. I’ve decided to take things as they come. If a woman enters my life, then that’s how it should be. I see myself as being lead by God. And if God thinks I need a woman and a woman needs me, then there is no reason to go against this. I’m curious as to how my spiritual path will develop.

15. Feelings come and go. That belongs to life, and especially to love. If there isn’t any jealousy, then there also isn’t any kind of deep love either. It’s important not to overdo it. Along the way of enlightenment, you learn to keep feelings within a certain framework and not to let them rule you. You learn to center yourself in God, in your inner happiness. Then you don’t become overcome by feelings like fear, rage, jealousy or grief.

16. Two people fall in love. Then after awhile, love disappears and then boredom or hatred appears. This can only be avoided through the spiritual approach to life. If two people go the spiritual way together, then they can open the heart chakra further and futrhter, and things will never get boring because enlightenment and love is a constant adventure.

17. The yoga god Shiva meditates and switches between phases of outer activity and meditation. (Having a relationship and resting in meditation). That’s a good way to grow in light. Through tantric yoga, kundalini energy can be activated. You meditate afterward. Then the man and woman heal and become enlightened. Tantric yoga is a way of healing in the context of a relationship, when it’s based on love and loyalty.

18. You can base a relationship around striving for enlightenment. You should emphasize God (spirituality, calm, centering oneself). One should always listen to the voice of inner wisdom.

19. Living alone is difficult for most people. You can harden on the inside and block sexuality and the desire for a relationship. There are people who have hindered their enlightenment. It’s important for me to have enough joy in life in my spiritual approach. A relationship can be a part of that.

20. Experiencing God is possible. A person can develop their inner happiness, inner peace, and love. He or she can live in light. Meditation is a way to enlightenment. First you become enlightened through meditation and then you practice keeping this state of being after meditating. Meditation and acting in the world will become one state of being.

21. For the spiritual approach you don’t need yoga exercises. But it’s faster with asanas for most people. The asanas stabilize the health and help get rid of tension. If the body isn’t cleansed of tension, spiritual progress is difficult. In yoga and in Tibetan Buddhism, that’s the reason you do bodily exercises for a long time before you begin with higher forms of meditation. In my view, it doesn’t need to be yoga exercises. Taking walks regularly is also a good way to cleanse the inner self. Muktananda first took a pilgrimage to India for 20 years before he committed to 9 years of intense meditation. I take daily walks as my main bodily exercise, but combine it with mantras and breath exercises.

22. I just got back from a child’s birthday party where I was invited as the magician. It finally worked out! It’s difficult to be a convincing magician for kids these days. Six months ago, it didn’t work out at all. But you can always learn from your mistakes. This time I did everything right: I focused on my strengths. My strengths are yoga and psychology. First I did laugh yoga with the children. Then everyone got into a good mood. And then I showed them my magic tricks. I made a handkerchief appear from my sleeve and the audience could rip it up. Then I made the kerchief disappear in my fist and conjured a whole kerchief from my sleeve.

23. I conjured a pink plush elephant from my magic hat. I put a little plush mouse into the magic hat and took out a big one from underneath. Finally everyone took a tarot card and I interpreted them. They were happy about that because they felt acknowledged and got a positive perspective on life. What does the happiness oracle say to you today?

24. At the child’s birthday party, there were a lot of energetically sick children and mothers. On the outside I was a happy magician, but energetically I worked as a healer. I took on many energies. I needed two days to work them out. During the course of those two days, visions of people appeared originating from the people whose energy I needed to cleanse myself of. I was a magician on the inside and outside, at the child’s birthday party. I wasn’t a healer on purpose. I don’t see myself as a healer. I’m just a simple yogi. But if God wants it, then healing takes place in my presence.

25. Whether or not perfect enlightenment exists, I don’t know. Once your ego has left the picture, you take things as they are. Everything is perfect at that point, even things that aren’t perfect normally. If you find happiness and peace, then the perfect enlightenment isn’t important to you anymore. It’s just enough to find your way of happiness. According to my experience, there is a level of cosmic consciousness (egolessness). But there are many further levels, that are connected to abilities such as healing and seeing into the future.

26. Enlightenment goes hand in hand with self-realization. The way there varies from person to person. According to my experience, it is enough to orient yourself around truth and love and to take your personal approach. At some point, you experience God. This might occur after some lives. It goes faster when you lead your life spiritually and can see exactly what is most effective, and wisest.

27. Those who connect to God or an enlightened master are blessed. He or she is lucky or blessed and is guided into the light. All of the negative happenings in their lives develop into blessings. Difficult times lead to inner growth. If you have a good heart, the devil can’t reach you. The devil is a symbol for the ego. In order to come to enlightenment, you have to overcome the ego and develop a cosmic consciousness. You have to learn to deal with suffering in a laidback way. You can’t get trapped in worldly addictions like the ferryman, who longs for money and material riches. You have to let go of your wordly wishes. Then you are free. Get the three golden hairs daily with spiritual practice, all-encompassing love and prayer to God. Then you will be blessed.

28. The personal image of God often leads to problems with great suffering in the world. Many people have lost their faith for that reason, but God is above joy and above suffering. God is the enlightened consciousness of unity. Moses speaks of “I am”. If you take things as they come, you will come to inner peace. If you practice enough spiritual exercises, you can reach enlightenment. In enlightenment, you can rise above outer suffering. The spiritual way helps to deal with suffering. We should avoid suffering as much as it is possible.

29. The fairytale of the Six Servants gives away the techniques we need to come to enlightenment. The first thing we need to do is to see our goal clearly. Then we need to be light. The second thing we need is the perseverance to reach our goal. We need the long legs of the servant. The third thing we need is a good sense of ourselves and what exercises are effective. We have to be like the clairvoyant to hear within the self. We need techniques like meditation and thought work to charge ourselves with spiritual energy. We need to learn to save energy in the belly, like the fat man. There’s a simple technique for that. We visualize our foot in our bellies and think a mantra (for example: I’m thankful for the good food) or a prayer (God bless my food). That’s a good exercise for christimas. At some point, the kundalini energy rises in the body and inner happiness appears. If we give that happiness on to other people, there will be a happy Christmas.

30. Once we’ve awakened our inner happiness with kundalini yoga, we meditate on the spiritual energy. A good technique for that is the tratak, the meditation gaze. If we concentrate on an outer point, we can keep the spirit calm. If we don’t fall asleep during the medtation (the third test in the fairy tale, then our consciousness will change to enlightenment consciousness at some point. We arrive in the unity of the cosmos (the golden ring) and feel the energy of God in and around us (the energy sea) and the mystic wedding can take place. The energy of God begins to cleanse us on the inside. There are cold and heat waves, like the servent felt in the fire. Then the body can let go of inner tension through spasms. If we meditate enough, the inner impurities will be burnt and we land in light.

31. But there is a danger: the spiritual pride. Even an enlightened person can have certain negative characteristics. We need to develop humility and modesty. We should see ourselves as servants of our fellow humans. Then we can come to complete enlightenment. We are happy on the inside and outside. We can recognize the beauty in the world (the beauty and the daughter of the king) without following into the trap of the sorceress. We get the enlightenment view of the world. What thoughts help you to see your world as a paradise? What is your positive thought of the day?

June

Dalai Lama

1. The fairy tale of the Valiant Little Tailor gives us courage. Trust yourself and live wisely. Even a weak person can win on the spiritual way. You only need perseverance. There are seven chakras (energy gates). When all of them are purified, the kundalini energy rises in the body to the head and you are united with God. You live in unity and light. In order to achieve the mystic wedding, the little tailor has to be clever and courageous. He wins over his inner giants, and cleverly flows with his inner impulses and directs them in the right direction.

2. The unicorn represents the enlightenment energy that the tailor awakens through clever spiritual exercises in the tree of enlightenment (the kundalini channel). The wild boar, or the wild nature of the tailor (the ego) is tamed. It is locked into a church. In this way the inner transformation can succeed. The tailor becomes king and marries the daughter of the king. He becomes a master of life who lives in light.

3. My enlightenment is progressing slowly. Six months ago, the big transformation began. The first five weeks were difficult. Then it got easier. I experienced days of intense purification and days of recovery, changing between the two. The cleansing mostly began with a difficult phase where energy blockages from earlier lives dissolved. Then came old feelings and old fears. Thankfully, this phase mostly began in the evening when I watched TV. I was therefore distracted and could get through it. Then around midnight the energy of happiness began to flow. That can last up to 24 hours. It annoyed me a little because I couldn’t sleep and then the next day was tired.

4. In enlightenment, you experience God and comprehend what God is. Moses described the central being and the way to God as “I am”. God is in silence and calm and can be found within the calm. Then you arrive in happy existence and see God as light in the world. It doesn’t mean you have fear in God, but that you let go of your own will in favor of God.

5. The point is to be merciful and to find the mercy and grace of God. God goes beyond material. People block their way to God when they focus on material instead of God. Those who are merciful, help the poor and work for the happiness of all beings will be rewarded with growth in the light.

6. If you see God as a person in heaven, then you have problems with the suffering on earth. If you try to be within God, you overcome the inner suffering. Then through the way of spiritual practice you can accept suffering at a deeper level and integrate it within your life and grow within and arrive in peace. You will find that despite and because of your suffering you will grow in light and develop inner happiness. You can be blessed however your outer life develops.

7. Kundalini processes are constantly taking place within me. The night before yesterday, I couldn’t sleeping because such strong energy was flowing. I lay the entire night in a state of happiness energy, and the day too. But exactly at 8 pm something let go in me. I went through difficult energies that I overcame by watching interesting television. Then I meditated an hour and went for a walk in the forest and again arrived in happiness.

8. I have a crazy daily schedule. I mostly watch TV from 8-10 pm. Then I meditate an hour and go into the forest for an hour. At 12 midnight I’m on the internet for an hour. Then I read a little and go to bed. I sleep and meditate until 10 or 11 am. At 1pm I am normally available. I sit at the computer and take care of my tasks. When I’m done with that, I go for a walk, eat and meditate. This daily schedule works for me, but I’m flexible. I can change my schedule according to outer or inner situations. I feel within myself, what the correct way is at any given time. So I remain in a constant spiritual process of growth.

9. Survey on happiness 2013: health and family and friends are among the most important factors for people to develop personal happiness. People also consider work important, but religion is less and less important in the eyes of most people. One third of those surveyed think it is important, two thirds think it is not important, and 34 percent think religion has nothing to do with it. 72 percent of Germans belong to a religious community, but even among them, they have less and less religious conviction.

10. China is going in the wrong direction and doesn’t notice. Maximum economic growth and maximum consumption are a stupid idea. The people in China will just keep getting unhappier and unhappier despite growing wealth. Just like in Germany. Depression is growing. People are more psychically ill. The point of life is maximum inner happiness and not maximum outer happiness. The right idea is a socialist one, that everyone has enough to eat and a good life. Then there can be inner self-realization. A happy and thriving society can only be based on inner happiness and the associated principles of spirituality, enlightenment and all-encompassing love. Reforms are correct and necessary. But the correct long-term perspective is missing in the reforms that take place today. As long as that isn’t recognized, China will just collapse. It shouldn’t orient itself as a country around the west, but on the wisdom of the Chinese ancients.

11. I’ve had some detail discussions about God in a Catholic and a Protestant internet forum. I’ve published this in the American Wikibooks and on the German Wordpress site. I felt the energies of the readers flow through me all week. Many people connected with my heart. I sent them light and love and prayed for them. I healed and cleansed them as much as possible. Otherwise, I prayed with my masters and left the healing to God. As far as help is needed, it will come from God. I believe that.

12. The readers had a varied array of problems. Many monks blocked their sexual energy because they consider sex sinful. They view sexuality in a dogmatic way. They were so tense, they couldn’t go forward in their spirituality. I could feel their problems. I considered how I could help them. All of the encouraging words that they should see things in a more laidback way were no help. I walked in the forest, did my spiritual exercises and healed them spontaneously. Spontaneously a lot of the blockages were healed, just by going for a walk.

13. Many of the readers were conflicted over whether God exists as a being who can act and intervene in the world. Does God help in times of emergency? I was also concerned with the question. The answer came the same night. I had a healing vision and I felt healing within minutes. It was clear that God intervened when my way became difficult. I now feel more calm when going through my kundalini processes. If God helps me, then everything will surely be alright in the end. I also believe though, that God puts me through a bit too many difficulties and could help me more. But God probably thinks I can handle it and will grow from the experience.

14. Afterwards, I thought about God. God is enlightenment consciousness that flows through the cosmos. God is happy existence, peace, and unity consciousness. God is in “I am”, in enlightened existence. Enlightened existence arises through serenity, meditation and working on the mind (to take things as they are, and to let go of material wishes).

15.. God is also love. The love of God acts especially though the enlightened masters. The enlightened masters are the incorporation of the love of God so that God can help people.All of them together form the energy field of love. Everyone helps with his or her special abilities.

16. Tibetan Buddhism came into existence around 900 AD. There is still a lot to be done for it to adjust to today’s world. Otherwise, Tibetan Buddhism is a good religion that deals with meditation, kundalini yoga and all encompassing love. The Dalai Lama believes in equality for men and women. He teaches modesty and love for other beings.

17. Words of the Dalai Lama: those who feel demoralized, sad and only complain won’t solve their problems that way. If we only pray, we won’t solve our problems. We have to trust ourselves, and never give up.

18. There is a tantric practice in Tibetan Buddhism. The Nyingmapa bransch of Tibetan Buddhism is nondogmatic and members can live as monks or as free yogis in relationships. Normally, sexual union is only visualized. Through Tantric God unity images the kundalini energy is activated.

19. I have just discovered an interesting video online. It deals with the cooperation of masculine and feminine energies. At the first level, it deals with addictive relationships. At the second level, you concentrate on yourself (self-enlightenment). At the third level, you flow positively with all energies. At this level, men and women work together toward enlightenment.

20. I’ve lived as a yogi and a hermit for 25 years. At the moment, something is changing. I don’t know how long this transformation phase will last. I don’t know what the next step is in this transformation and which missions I will have to fulfill. I can only wait and see what the right way will be. I navigate my way creatively every day. How much personal contact is important? How much peace and quiet and solitude do I need?

21. Some perfectionism is sometimes helpful, but one shouldn’t overdo it. I try to balance this. I combine goal-oriented thinking and self-discipline with a laid-back attitude and knowing that I am imperfect. I feel out what I need to grow optimally spiritually. That is my perfectionism; the exact observation and feeling out what I need.

22. I have a difficult time behind me. Now it seems to be getting better. I go to bed, observe my body and am curious what will happen. Does the energy start to flow? Is it so strong that I can’t sleep? How long will the energy flow? Three hours, 24 hours, or 2 days? If I get four hours of sleep I’m happy. That’s enough for me. The cleansing process circles my body and my spirit. Again and again fears, relationship longings and additions and nervousness appear. The most difficult phases are overcome by watching TV, going for walks, doing meditation and mantras. I enjoy something nice to awaken joy.

23. I have a girlfriend. OK, ”girlfriend” is maybe going too far. She wrote to me online and we email, skype or talk on the telephon every day. It’s like a real relationship because we can feel each other’s energies even at a distance. God sent her to me so that I would be strengthened and encouraged on my way. She is very self-confident. She just explained to me: “the mistress recognizes the master”.

24. We learn from one another and support each other along the spiritual way. She says “life is beautiful.” I would formulate it for myself like this: “life is. You can use joy or suffering in order to grow in enlightenment.”

25. My girlfriend is an important part of my spiritual path at the moment. I connect with her, meditate on her and am in happiness. I see her as a goddess, and activate my kundalini energy that way. I send her light and she dances in happiness. My life is beautiful through her. I can get over the difficult phases. There isn’t any more boredom as a hermit. There is something to talk about daily, something to love, and to learn and to laugh about. She has a good sense of humor. I like that.

26. The magic of happiness is the enlightenment. In enlightenment you get a view of paradise. You see your world as paradise. You can be successful in love because you have happiness, love and positivity in you.

27. In Mahayana Buddhism there is the goal to free all beings on earth of their suffering. Jesus sacrificed himself to help his suffering fellow humans. He gave his own life to help people on the way of enlightenment and all-encompassing love. In Yoga, we think the mantra “Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu” (May all beings be happy.) We practice the way of all-encompassing love and help others as much as possible.

28. Through capitalist globalism a lot of problems in the world are worsening. Although the middle class has grown in India and China and the number of poor perhaps a bit lower, the poverty problem has not been solved. Poverty and hunger in Africa is growing. Through the pressure of industrialization, depression, fear and psychic illness is increasing.

29. The slums are growing world wide. Two thirds of the farmers in the developing countries will lose their jobs due to farming becoming industrialized. A smaller number of people own more land. The number of landless and starving farmers is increasing. These problems can only be solved by dividing riches more fairly.

30. We have to change from predator capitalism to a social market economy. Social, economic and ecological problems have to be solved democratically. That can only work when people are centered in positive values like love, peace and justice. Egotistical people in the economy and politics shouldn’t be rewarded anymore. Only people with integrity should rise to the top. Positive values should be taught in school and not egotistical pressure to achieve. For a happy world to exist, we need people to find a positive way of dealing with each other. We should visualize ourselves as Buddha, a Goddess or an angel and think “I send all beings light. May all beings be happy. May there be a happy world.”

July

Kundalini

1. The kundalini energy has been flowing strongly for a few months. I observe the various phases. 1. The tension dissolving phase. Tension dissolves from deep-seated places. That is often unpleasant. Old pain rises again. I have to go through feelings of fear and sadness. My spirit is nervous and negative. I get through these times by watching TV, listening to music, going for walks, reading or meditating. Mostly it lasts three hours, then it all calms down again. 2. The happiness energy flows. I feel how a chakra opens (at the moment its usually the solar plexus chakra) Then happiness energy flows through my body for some 24 hours. That is a bit annoying at night because I can’t sleep. On the other hand, I usually just can enjoy the feelings of happiness. 3. The recovery phase. This phase can last a bit longer.

2. Whenever God (life, my masters) think that I need some rest, the kundalini processes stop and I can rest for a few hours or a few days. At that point I’ve gotten enough rest and the whole thing starts again. It’s a rather strenuous time for me. I hope that it will stop at some point and that I will be in lasting happiness. I know that in the meantime also. It’s a pleasant state to be in. I’m so laidback, happy, full of love and joy. All fears disappear. Such phases come every five days lately.

3. Kundalini energy is what Christians call the holy Ghost. John the Baptist tranferred kundalini energy to Jesus. Jesus then meditated for 40 days in the desert and arrived in enlightenment. The kundalini energy arrived as a dove from energy. The energy of God can flow in many different ways into a person. It can flow from the heavens through the crown chakra, through love in the heart chakra, or through the second chakra as the power of God or through the root chakra as the peace of God (earthing). I’ve experienced all of these ways.

4. I think there are various possibilities for life after death. A person can develop spiritually on the other side or in life on earth. Or both, combined. It depends on what a person needs and their abilities and what they have decided. As I know thousands of my earlier lives, I believe in the ability to reincarnate. Jesus promised the seriously practicing Christians a life in paradise after death .The same promise exists in Amitabha Buddhism. In yoga there are also teachings of paradise. Yogis can also come to paradise (Siddhaloka, Shivaloka).

5. Only a few of those who have reached full enlightenment will come back to earth. Life on earth is full of suffering. One has to have a very strong sense of empathy as an enlightened being to incarnate on earth again. If you reincarnate as an enlightened on earth, you most certainly will din your personal proper spiritual path, at the right moment the right information will come. I came across the philosopher Epicure and knew spontaneously that he was right. I could only consistently follow my spiritual path from that point. A woman one read from a book on Buddhism, and immediately knew which path she had to take.

6. I had my first enlightenment experience through my first love. She opened my heart chakra and I arrived in light. Maybe that’s why I still love women, because through them I can see the beauty of God.

7. For me, the Indian Gods are symbolic role models for enlightenment. If we meditate on them, pray to them and identify with them, we awaken our kundalini energy. Then we will become Gods, everyone in his own way. The Gods incorporate various characteristics that you need for enlightenment. Such characteristics as wisdom (Brahma), strength (Shiva), rest (Buddha), love (Lakshmi), meekness (Shiva let Kali overpower him) and happiness (Ganesha).

8. In my view, there is no devil. The devil is a symbol for the ego, that you overcome with enlightenment. Jesus arrived in enlightenment after 40 days of meditation. The devil left him and the angels served him. He could help and heal other people. An enlightened (saint) doesn’t see the devil, rather God and light in his fellow beings.

9. God goes beyond good and evil. God is light. You recognize that in enlightenment. You arrive in enlightenment in that you go beyond the level of good and evil, joy and suffering. You achieve that through meditation, in that your mind comes to rest, and also through all-encompassing love, in that you accept suffering and problems in your life.

10. I studied law and considered the reasons for crime. I believe teaching guilt and social pre-destiny. According to the teachings of pre-destiny, everything is determined already. The reasons for crime are in the outer circumstances of life, and in the psyche. Crime can be stopped by improving the conditions people live in and by changing the mental pre-disposition of perpetrators. Earlier in Ladakh (an Indian Buddhist region) there was no violence. First with the introduction of western civilization was there violence there.

11. If we perceive God as a dimension of consciousness in which enlightenment is experience, then we can understand the mystery of suffering. Suffering can lead us to wisdom and empathy. Wisdom is a method to avoid suffering and to reach happiness. Empathy is a way to identify with others and to help them overcome their suffering. Both lead to an enlightened consciousness of unity. If we deal with suffering correctly, then we can grow into enlightenment. We can rise above the suffering in our lives if we do our spiritual exercises and concentrate on building a happy world.

12. A lot of people have trouble with self-discipline, but self-discipline can be learnt. According to my experience, it’s best to make a clear daily schedule and then follow it consistently for 1-2 months. That’s the time it takes for the mind to get used to it. Self-discipline is important for the way of enlightenment and the way of love. Without self-discipline, you quickly become a victim of your own foolishness, the foolishness of others or from negative energy. In the western world, we live torn between worldly and spiritual energy. Without proper grounding in wisdom and self-discipline it’s hard to stand the worldly energies.

13. God is a mystery that can also be described with the words, father, son and holy Ghost. From the perspective of enlightenment God is the father of the cosmos, the entirety, the unity consciousness. God as the son is every enlightened person. God as the holy Ghost is the spiritual energy. The kundalini energy mostly rises from the pelvis to the middle of the body up to the head. Then it reaches the crown chakra and consciousness of God is attained.

14. Suffering in the world can only be ended through the overcoming of the ego of humanity and with a philosophy of love and happiness for all. Many enlightened people are needed for that. Before the Mongolians became the enlightened Tibetan masters of Buddhism, they were warrior-like and put people through a lot of suffering. Then they were a peaceful people. Humankind can become happier. Human rights are an important step in that direction.

15. I like to plan my life well. I expect to live somewhere between 80 and 90 years. I mentally prepare myself for that. I organize my life so that I get to experience the most important things. I plan my spiritual development so that I am as enlightened as possible before my death. Those who are enlightened can go through death well, thanks to their strong inner energy, and then they reach paradise after death as they already dwell in a paradise consciousness before death.

16. People in my family usually live to be very old, around 94 years. If I get older than 80, I see that as a gift. If I die sooner, I accept it. God’s plan goes before human plans. But a person can do a lot to live long and to become enlightened. You can live healthy and think positively. Those who eat healthy and exercise regularly live longer. Those who practice spiritually have a good chance of coming to light after death.

17. Life can only be planned to a certain degree. There are always coincidences which can’t be planned. You have to be flexible to live well. And you should not only think of the future, but live in the present. You need to enjoy life enough. Those who experience enlightenment recognize the deeper point of life. Only a life in enlightened existence and all-encompassing love give deepest fulfillment.

18. I experience God as an identity-less existence, as the highest consciousness in the whole cosmos. About God’s actions I can only say that my life has developed in a certain way that I see as directed. I cannot say exactly from whom these actions come. If God is a cosmic enlightenment consciousness at the center of happy existence, then God as a being who can act is above all identities and images. You can’t feel any specific being, just the results of the actions in your life. These actions are so subtle that they can only be felt, but cannot be proven. This cannot be measured scientifically, only judged by your own feelings and observed.

19. I connect to my enlightened masters every day because they inspire me. They are Buddha, Jesus, Swami Sivananda, Sathya Sai Baba, Dalai Lama, Amritananadamayi, Anandamayi Ma, Mother Meera and Epicure. I have tested their teachings with my own experiences and have found them good. I visualize their images, think their names, and read their books. I follow their teachings as far as that works for me. There are many videos on the net which feature my masters.

20. You can also pray directly to God, It doesn’t matter which names you use. The only important thing is that you are looking for serious guidance and help. The way God helps is to bring you forward spiritually and not to fulfill your egotistical wishes. Everyone can connect with God through prayer, calling, thinking, feeling, oracle, mantra, visualization of a spiritual role model, reading from spiritual texts.

21. It is important to consistently take the path of wisdom and love each day. The exercises you choose to do are of secondary importance. You should feel within which exercises you need and what will do well for you. Then everything will come at the correct time. Buddha recommended observing the thoughts and to switch between activity (walking) and meditating. For yogis, daily yoga exercises are an important daily ritual. Christians prefer to pray, to read the bible and to visit the church service once a week. Esoterics like to check an oracle, consult angels or the stars for advice. God is in everything and works through everything for those who connect with him seriously.

22. If you constantly have fearful thoughts, then they can make you sick. If you have thoughts full of rage, then these can lead to rage manifesting on the outside world. Then that person can go so far as to kill themselves of others. Thoughts create our inner feelings and are the basis for our actions. It is important to differentiate between good and bad thoughts and to overcome the bad thoughts. Only in that way can we be happy and build a better world.

23. Everyone is responsible for his or her own life. Everyone is responsible for his or her own thoughts and actions. The inner happiness develops on its own if we can overcome our inner blockages and attachment to the outer world. The thoughts come to rest, the body relaxes. If the body is relaxed then healing and inner well-being arises. If the spirit is empty of worldly wishes, God can fill you with light and happiness.

24.. Only those with a goal can achieve a goal.

25. Many things heal on their own. But most illnesses need good medicine. The spiritual path is medicine for inner peace, happiness and all-encompassing love. We should turn earth into a paradise and create love, peace and happiness. Humanity is developing in the direction of enlightenment and a golden age.

26. It is easier to go through life with company. Two people can support one another on the spiritual path. They can strengthen each other energetically and mentally. God made man and woman so that they can live together in paradise. The central story in the bible shows that. The mystery is that they can both awaken the kundalini snake through their love and sexual energy. Then they can eat the apple of enlightenment, which is a symbol for entirety, unity and life in God.

27. In that sense, we’re all alike. We are all sparks of God. We can all live in highest happiness. Of course, souls are varied. They have varied abilities and needs. They have different tasks. The problems begin though when some people exploit others, when some live in luxury and others starve. When wars over power and riches take place and people die for no reason, when not everyone is living out their abilities and needs, when not everyone can develop their spiritual potential: these are when trouble starts.

28. There are different paths to take to get to enlightenment. It is enough to be enlightened, it is enough to have inner peace, happiness and light. But there is also the way of empathy. One sees the suffering in others and helps and wishes other beings happiness and takes others to be more important than oneself. One puts love for others as the first priority and one’s own enlightenment is secondary. The Zen Bodhisattva vow says: the number of beings is eternal, I vow to deliver them all. Greed, hate and ignorance arise constantly, I vow to overcome all of this. The gates of Dharmas is countless, I vow to enter all of them. The path of Buddha is like nothing else,I vow to realize it-

29. Buddha taught that one should bring the self to enlightenment and not harm others. That is also the main way of yoga according to Patanjali. In addition, there is the way of love in Buddhism (Mahayana, Dalai Lama) and in yoga the way of karma yoga often in connection with bhakti yoga. Along the way of love in Buddhism the Bodhisattva is the central model. A Bodisattva sacrifices the complete entrance into Nirvana until one has rescued all fellow beings.

30. In Yoga, the God of love, Vishnu incarnates on earth when he needs to help people. There are many enlightened masters like Amritanandamayi and Mother Meera who devote their lives to the spiritual rescue of their fellow beings. Amritanandamayi had the choice of becoming a Buddha or a mother of all beings. She decided on the latter. My observation is that there is suffering in the world. There are a lot of egotistical people who cause a lot of suffering. They have the choice of continuing that or to work toward a happy world. It is a blessing that many enlightened masters don’t think just on their own happiness, but on other people.

31. Yesterday, my television broke. Unfortunately, I was so upset about it that I set some strong energy processes in motion. I tried to stay calm, but that only worked a little. I bought a new television, installed it, and tortured myself with the directions. At some point I tried again, and it suddenly turned off. God is playing with me!

August

1. The present is a time of healing. For the past thirty years, I’ve been burdened by burnout I had from exam stress while studying. I felt powerless and had sleep disturbances. Two weeks ago, a lot of tension dissolved from my head. That was the main cause of my sleep disturbances. For the five days since then, my body feels lighter and I have more energy. The burnout seems to have healed. At some point that had to happen. The chakras open again and energy can flow once more. The body and the spirit are healthy again. At some point, you have a lot of love, strength, happiness and energy within.

2. There is God. God is experienced in enlightenment. Then you know what God is. The term God should lead to enlightenment and the experience of God. There are many ways to God. There are many names for Gods. Everyone can choose the path or the name that helps him or her. God is a mystery. Jesus described the mystery of God in his way. He never said his way was the only way. John the Baptist put these words in his mouth in order to divide him from Judaism. Jesus saw himself as a Jew and a follower of Moses and Elija. Jesus didn’t want to start a new religion. His followers tried that. It began with Paul and came to a head some 100 years after Christ with the scripture of John. Today we should try to return to the original Christianity. A good basis for this is the second Vatican council 1962 to 1965 where it was recognized that the light of God shines through all religions.

3. I believe that everyone has a free will. Everyone can decide whether to go to enlightenment and to God or not. It is the essence of my teachings to recommend the spiritual way to people and for them to decide on enlightenment as a goal. If you decide to go for enlightenment seriously, then God and enlightened masters will help and lead you. Enlightenment means dissolving the ego. And that means that things will develop differently from the way you planned. For me, a woman came into my life totally unplanned and my enlightenment path is developing entirely differently from the way I expected.

4. There are different ways to enlightenment. The concept of Buddha is significant. A person should avoid attachments and outer enjoyment and to reject suffering and to concentrate on wisdom and should develop inner happiness and inner peace, modesty. Then he or she can reach enlightenment and become a Buddha. Jesus taught that it was good to live in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is life in light and the overcoming of duality (good, evil, joy, suffering). Through spiritual energy, you feel connected to everything. You are more connected to your spiritual energy, rather than your body.

5. The Buddhist enlightenment concept can be described with the image of a resting Buddha. We practice being a Buddha and accepting things calmly. Jesus centered around sacrifice of the ego and to submit to the will of God (life) and to work for the happiness of all beings (and to live in all-encompassing love and to give endlessly). The core of the Christian teachings is love of God and to love others.

6. In Hinduism, there are many ways to come to light. Shiva is the master of the five elements. He mastered the five characteristics of wisdom, love, strength, calm and joy while living on earth. He awoke his inner happiness with kundalini yoga. His wife Parvati (Shakti) brought love in his life. His son Ganesha preferred the way of joy. At the same time he is also the God of wisdom and success.

7. Today I’m feeling fine. My cleansing processes are resting a bit. Yesterday night cleansing energy flowed through me for five hours. Then it stopped suddenly and I fell asleep. I slept five hours and felt recovered. After the difficult cleansing, I felt like myself again and back in my normal life. I just wrote in the esoteric forum that my inner happiness is awakened by imagining a beautiful landscape with a person I love. That’s paradise yoga, then you get a feeling of paradise daily. My dream woman exists for real in my life. I get a Darshan from my Goddess daily.

8. My girlfriend: ”I’ve never had an enlightenment experience, but I’ve seen miracles that prove for me that confirm God’s existence, and that he is with me and also the enlightened masters. I understand that Nils has a need to pass on his experiences, and I think it’s wonderful that he does just that. I also feel that need, but I don’t have his energy or his confidence. My self-doubt, but also the constant conflicts with my ego, and the danger that I could be lead to it make me a “mistress/master in hiding.””

9. And further: ” I was convinced I could find my way on my own, as I didn’t trust anyone or anything other than my understanding and my limited senses. Today I am more humble and mild. I can give up my fighter tendencies for a time and look into the depths of things. There are words I hate such as “you must, you should, you can do this, you can’t do that.” And what do I gladly read in texts from Nils? Just these words!! But now I can perceive them in a different way. I feel their energy, the deeper meaning, not the words or single sentences that bothered me before. I read, feel and can get a lot from the experience and wisdom!”

10. In a dream a little girl appeared to Nils. She had forgotten her name, and who she was. She had lost her enlightenment consciousness. Nils hugged her and caused her to laugh. He felt a great love from heart to heart. He took the little girl by the hand and they went through the dream, full of wonder and surprise, until they both came to a river through which energy began to flow through them both.

11. The core of enlightenment is the sacrifice of the ego. Without a sacrifice, you can’t come to enlightenment. There is the wisdom sacrifice. We orient ourselves around wisdom and take our personal way of wisdom. We live in rest and spiritual practice to come to light, but there is also the sacrifice of love. We make a sacrifice to others to help them along the spiritual way. We do things for others and go beyond our own fixation on the ego. We work for the happiness of all beings and achieve unity consciousness.

12. A spiritual person can abstain. He or she can live without a relationship. Many yogis, monks and nuns do just that. Those who want to live in the kingdom of God, should give up outer attachments. Then the life energy flows within and awakens the inner happiness. A lot of rest, living away from the world and effective spiritual exercises like yoga, walking, meditation, reading, praying and working with the thoughts are the basis for enlightenment and a life in light.

13. For many people, living alone is necessary to be free of the attachments to other people, sex and relationships. For me personally, it was the right thing to live without a relationship for ten years. But I see that a relationship with a woman is good for me. She brings love and joy into my life and opens my heart. I learn to communicate with another person and to see myself in another person.

14. Relationships can be a spiritual learning process and at the same time a way of opening the heart. A positive relationship can heal through love and sexuality. They can go together to happiness, light and enlightenment. There is the way of tantric yoga. Sexuality is practiced in a way that spiritual energy is awakened and tension is dissolved. Tantric yoga is an art. Healing energies must be developed with losing oneself in worldly energies. It is important to anchor the being in calm, God, and spirituality. We should overcome our attachments through spiritual exercises, through peace and quiet and being alone. We should allow ourselves to be lead through God, our enlightened masters and the voice of our inner wisdom.

15. Sathya Sai Baba is a well-known Indian master. He tells most of his followers to follow the way of the spiritual relationship. He dedicated his book “Sai Baba Talks about Relationships” to his student Stephan von Stepski-Doliwa. He teaches daily meditation, positive thinking and the guidance of the inner voice. He sees sexuality as Godly energy. It should be experienced with joy and responsibility. Both partners should connect themselves with their higher selves or God or light or inner truth. The goal should be to grow in light together. Those who do good for others will harvest goodness. Those who live their relationships through God are blessed.

16. Selfless serving is an important spiritual exercise for Sai Baba. Sai Baba says “obligate yourself to serve selflessly if you want to keep your heart pure.” Seva gives us the consciousness of unity. Sai Baba says that we should first serve our own families, only then when we’ve fulfilled our obligations in love, then we can go onto the next step of serving the community. The big goal of Sai Baba is to build a golden era on earth. Everyone can help each other.

17. I believe that Sai Baba was enlightened. His teachings about all-encompassing love are very good. His core teachings were of love, peace, truth, justice and non-violence. He saw ways to God in all religions.

18. Wikipedia: "Śri Sathya Sai Baba was an Indian guru and spiritual leader. The reputed materialisations of vibhuti (holy ash) and other small objects such as rings, necklaces, and watches by Sathya Sai Baba along with reports of miraculous healings, resurrections, clairvoyance, bilocation, and alleged omnipotence and omniscience were a source of both fame and controversy; devotees considered them signs of divinity, while sceptics viewed them as simple conjuring tricks." I can not say anything about materializations. But I know that one can help with spiritual energy and healing.

19. I think enlightened masters don’t need to be perfect and are allowed to have imperfections. Imperfections make people think. It can destroy the ego if you are aware of your own imperfections. In Tibetan Buddhism it is practiced that one is aware of his or her mistakes. On the other hand it’s important to overcome imperfections and mistakes as much as possible. We should concentrate on the positive aspects of ourselves and others.

20. Last night, the energy processes continued, but I could still sleep four hours. It was interesting how the night went. I had the feeling God wants to train me to be a spiritual master who can help other people optimally spiritually. I had a lot of crises last night. I could only overcome them by doing the absolute correct thing at the correct moment. I had to view each situation exactly, figure out which energy points to concentrate on and which words (visualization, mantras, prayers) would work best.

21. Then the blockages dissolved, the energy began to flow, the crisis was over and inner happiness arose and I came to a state of peace and quiet. I slept until the next energy process arose. Then high concentration was necessary. A new situation with new strategies for solving the problem. Ten hours of energy work are behind me. I’ve emerged victorious. If I can help myself, then I can also help others. That is probably the idea behind my hard spiritual training. I just drank a hot cocoa and went for a long walk.

22. Girlfriend: “I am very glad if I can help to dissolve blockages on your heart. I do energy work and sometimes know what is a topic of interest with a person I deal with.”

23. Nils: "Which goals do you have for your life? What do you wish for the future? What do you want to do and achieve.” Girlfriend: “ I simply want to hear and listen what the divine wants for me, which way the divine leads me and to courageously follow my heart and my love. Otherwise, like everyone, I want to be happy. Happy with myself and to have God happy with me, and to be happy with others. And also to experience real love within a partnership.”

24. Nils: To go together in light is the best perspective that a person can have. Under the protection and leadership of God, you have the foundation for optimism. Everything will go well with us both. And everything is already good the way things are. We’ve found each other at exactly the right moment. Just now I’m ready for you, and you are ready for me. If we met earlier, I wouldn’t have been ready for a woman.

25. I walk the path of all-encompassing love. I’ve taken the Bodhisattva vow with the Dalai Lama. I think it is good to work for the happiness of all beings. And it’s nice if I can do that with a partner.

26. My main method of healing is according to the five principles for health ( healthy diet, regular exercise, enough relaxation, avoiding poison, and thinking positively). Yoga helps to relieve conflict through exercise, meditation and positive thinking. In this way, you help activate the body’s self healing capacity. According to my experience you can heal yourself with spiritual energy and send this to other people as well. There are many ways to transfer energy such as reiki, shiatsu, massage hooponopono. I see myself not as a healer, rather a spiritual teacher. My girlfriend feels more attracted to healing work. I am glad that she also found Mother Meera’s teachings.

27. The deeper point of life isn’t material happiness, it’s inner happiness. Material happiness is reached through consumption, carrier and material riches. Inner happiness is developed through spiritual exercises. Then one day you can reach light, God, inner peace and immeasurable happiness in all-encompassing love, which is the true fulfillment of life. It is also nice if you can connect inner and outer fulfillment.

28. I’m going through a difficult time because the kundalini energy is flowing constantly, and many old hurts are coming up and keep me from sleeping. I hope that it will get better soon. Yesterday evening I was suddenly very tired. I lay down to meditate, then suddenly during the course of the evening a great layer of tension lifted. I considered what problem was hidden under that. When I went to bed, I felt the happiness energy flow as a result of the tension dissolving. After four hours the problem appeared which had caused such inner tension.

29. I went through a dying situation from an earlier life. I didn’t want to let go of my family and friends, so I became tense for many lives. An image of a mother with many children appeared. She was happy. And now she had lost everything. I transformed myself, looked for happiness in myself and went into death. I know that people die and have to let go of attachments to the world in order to go into the light. I first went through all of the feelings of addiction, anger and mourning. I went through all of my feelings of loss enough and so let go of them. Then I tried to reach light. I imagined myself as a Buddha of happiness and activated my kundalini energy. I sent all of my friends light and reached light myself.

30. I went for long walks, let go of my sadness, arrived in peace and was suddenly in unity. I experienced energy of calm, unity, happiness and love. I notice I achieved a leap up in consciousness.

31. God can be experienced. God is love, peace, happiness and joy. Those who experience God, are enthusiastic and want more God until they reach complete enlightenment.

September

1. Amritanandamayi (Amma) Is one of the most well-known spiritual masters today. She was born 27.9.1953 in Kerala. Already at age 5 she began her spiritual practice. Her motto was “ don’t waste a moment of your life.” At the age of 17 she reached enlightenment and with 22 she reached complete enlightenment. She established an Ashram in Souther India (Kerala) where many people from the west also live. Her teachings are typical for neo-Hinduism. She is undogmatic, humorous and emphasizes the unity of all religions.

2. Amritanandamayi has built up a lot of humanitarian work. She set up villages for poor families. She finances schools, universities and hospitals. She started an organization for single mothers. She gives all mothers enough money to live from. That is a very big social deed in India. She works for the equal treatment of men and women. She established an Indian temple with female priests, and re-awakened the Brahma cult. Brahma is the Indian God of wisdom. Equal to him is Brahmani, the mistress. She holds a book, ap prayer chain and a musical instrument.

3. It is good to take a specific time daily for the spiritual way. It is also good to take a particular time daily for intensive spiritual practice. The amount of time needed for enlightenment varies from person to person. Jesus needed 40 days, Ramanamaharshi 5 minutes, Buddha 6 years, Swami Shivanda 9 years, Amma 12 years and Moses 40 years.

4. The teachings of the four stages of life are a basis in Hinduism. The four phases are: the student, the family, the spirituality and the enlightenment. In other words: “ In Hinduism there are four phases or Ashramas in life: the time of Brahmacharya or the student, Grihastha or the household, Vanaprastha or the time of the hermit and Sannyasa, the phase of ascetism. (Yogawiki) The 60th birthday is especially celebrated in India because this is the entrance step into the spiritual life. Many Indians move to a place alone or with a partner to practice intensively spiritually.

5. Enlightenment can be compared with varied levels of happiness. People live at quite varied levels of happiness. Some people are depressed, some afraid, some aggressive, some addicted, some are more or less happy. And some people are enlightened. Even an enlightened person can experience joy and suffering. But his general level of happiness is higher than others.

6. In yoga, it is said that an enlightened person is 100 times happier than one who is not enlightened. And an enlightened person along the way of all-encompassing love is 100 times happier than a regular enlightened person. There are many levels of enlightenment. You can develop far. You don’t act from the ego anymore. You can always deal from the perspective of love and help others. Then you stabilize and strengthen your experiences in enlightenment.

7. Laotse:”I’m good to the good, and to the evil I am also good, because I am good.” Jeses taught the way of all-encompassing love and to also love one’s enemies. According to my experience, you then arrive in light (the dimension of enlightenment beyond all duality), if you send all beings light.

8. There are many types of spiritual students. Some follow their master word for word and some anchor themselves in their own wisdom. I belong to the latter.

9. Those who would like to be successful along the spiritual way need self-discipline. Those who practice with a goal in mind and live in all-encompassing love while connecting with God or enlightened masters will one day arrive in light. Those who practice with perseverance will one day be filled with grace by God.

10. Special spiritual abilities (Siddhi) develop along the spritual way. In yoga, Siddhi should not be shown to the public in order to keep the ego from becoming stronger. On the other hand it is good to help others with special abilities. They should be practiced in a way that the ego is not reinforced, they can be used subtly, and with positive motivation.

11. It is better to be happy rather than unhappy. It is better to be wise rather than unwise. It is better to be enlightened rather than unenlightened. Those who comprehend that , make their way to the light. They find the appropriate spiritual exercises and one day arrive in a life in God. Our deepest longing is for love and for happiness and to live in eternity. We long for a life in light, a life in God, for enlightenment. May we all recognize this longing and realize it as well.

12. The yogi is laughing about this ”” Two women are talking. One says: ”lately I’ve had such a difficult time speaking. I wanted to say, “I want to drink wine.“Instead I said, “I want to drink line”. The other said. “I experienced something just like that. At breakfast I wanted to say to my husband: “please pass me the coffee.” Instead I said: “you damn asshole, you’ve ruined my whole life!””

13. Fifteen year old girl on the internet ”My life is just school, food, TV and computer. There’s nothing worse than that…” Answer from Yogi Nils: “There is. No school, no food, no TV and no computer. Seriously, the center of life is inner happiness. Those who do not know the way of inner happiness suffer in life. Build your inner happiness daily with spiritual exercises like yoga, meditation, reading, thought work, doing good for others. Then you can see the positive in your life. Live as a spiritual person in God and you live in happiness.”

14. A person can also grow in enlightenment without a spritual practice if he or she goes through life consciously, thinks positive and does good for others. Meditation and thought work are the main techniques on the spiritual way. At best, they are both practiced to reach enlightenment, but for some people, positive thinking is enough. For others meditation or prayer to God is enough.

15. I differentiate between the way of enlightenment and the way of love. Both lead to a life in light, but they have different points of emphasis. Along the way of love, you try to see yourself in others, to help them and to help them become enlightened and to build a world of love and peace. Then you reach all-encompassing love, unity consciousness and light. Along the way of enlightenment peace and calm is practiced, in addition to attachment-free existence and self- discipline. God is found in calm. The mind is empty of worldly things. The thoughts calm to rest. The person relaxes deep in the soul. And suddenly inner happiness appears.

16. The original Buddhism is the way of enlightment, just like yoga according to Patanjali. You work for your own enlightenment and try not to harm others. The Dalai Lama represented the Mahayana Buddhism, which is a mix of the way of love and the way of enlightenment. In Christianity we also find the double path of love to others and enlightenment (the love to God). Neo Hinduism follows the way of love and combines it with the path of entlightenment and the Guru yoga (Bhakti yoga).

17. Then you don’t get lost along the spiritual way and won’t risk being the victim of false gurus. Fake teachers exist all around the world, sadly. They put their ego, their riches or power as the center of their methods. They are often so clever that it is hardly noticeable, but those who look exactly and sense, will see it at some point.

18. There is only one truth, there is only one God. But there are many images of God. You should find the image that helps you personally along the spiritual path. Be aware that God (enlightenment) is beyond all images.

19. I see God as the higher consciousness behind the material cosmos. This consciousness works through all people, beings, and also through the material. God consciousness expresses itself through enlightenment and saints. They give us orientation to find our way to the kingdom of God and light. They help us along our spiritual way and bring spiritual energy to us.

20. Those who have a happy life on earth will hardly reach toward enlightenment. Those who first know enlightenment as a goal accept the effort it takes. Those who know paradise will try to get there. Those who so wish, can incarnate on earth many times. No one can force you to enlightenment. At some point the soul is ready because it wants to come to happiness and it wants to be free of suffering.

21. There are various directions in yoga. I support and teach the way of love, peace and happiness. I work for a cooperation of all religions, all spiritual people and all yogis. I try to connect the religions. For that reason, I gladly use the term God. I can also express myself in a way that Christians will understand.

22. In Christianity, it is told to reject magic. At the same time, Jesus and Moses were magicians. They had spiritual abilities and helped others with them. The difference is that Jesus and Moses didn’t see themselves as doing magic, rather that God was acting through them. Their egos were not strengthened through the acts of magic, for that reason. They didn’t use their own energy because they acted through God’s energy, were more tools for God.

23. I had an interesting experience yesterday. Some people connected with me mentally and wanted to have some of my spritual energy. I gave them as much energy as I could. I noticed it wasn’t enough. I asked my masters for guidance and to help these people. Suddenly I saw myself in God (surrounded by the cosmos, and in the unity of the cosmos). My kundalini energy awoke. I saw the light of God in the world. And I had so much power and happiness in me that I could give all of the people what they needed. I noticed why I wrote the sentence, that God works through me. He helped me to arrive in light and to let God act through me.

24. God is in Yoga symbolically described as an elephant. Every unenlightened person considers only a part of the elephant. How can we see the entire elephant? How can we come to the bigger picture of the world? How can we see the unity of the world? There are a few techniques. We can meditate, let the thoughts flow by and become empty inside.

25. We can think about the elephant and come to comprehension of the entirety. We can understand the elephant through individual parts of it. We can hold onto the tail and let God bring us into light. We let the elephant stomp on our ego. We let go of our own will in the face of life. We take things as they are. We sacrifice our worldly wishes on the altar of light.

26. We can begin with the head of the elephant. We can practice listening to our inner voice of wisdom. We practice seeing with the eyes of the elephant (the eyes of God). We can listen to the suffering of other beings with the big ears of the elephant and use our trunks (our hands) to do good for others. At some point we learn to ride the elephant and to mentally be permanent in enlightened existence. Then the inner sun shines and enlightens our world.

27. If we fall from the elephant, we can use spiritual exercises to bring the light back. We use self-discipline to be back in the light of God. Christians have the mass or church service, prayer, reading in the bible and works of mercy. In Islam, one prays five times a day, goes to Mecca, fasts, gives almose and orients the self around God.

28. In yoga there are many ways to enlightenment, such as hatha yoga (physical exercise), tantric yoga (the way of spiritual relationships), kama yoga (the clever use of joy and enjoyment), kundalini yoga (yoga of enlightenment energy), mantra yoga (meditative chanting), raja yoga (meditation), jnana yoga (the way of wisdom, thinking), bhakti yoga (master yoga) and karma yoga (doing good).

29. You should learn to watch the ego. Otherwise you can easily become a victim of it. Even enlightened persons can get lost in the trap of worldly energy. Even enlightened people can fall into the trap of power, sex and greed. There are many examples of that. Enlightenment must be developed on the basis of wisdom and all-encompassing love.

30. It is a trap to see one’s own spiritual path as the only correct path. There are many ways to come to enlightenment. Enlightenment goes beyond all concepts, but concepts are used to reach enlightenment.

October

Sri Anandamayi Ma

1. Anandamayi Ma (born 30. April 1896, died 27. August 1982) was a well-known spiritual mistress from India. Ananda means happiness. Anandamayi was a mother of happiness. She was friendly, calm and cheerful. She could tell stories well and sing nicely. She liked to dance. She taught people to laugh: “laugh as much as possible.” She was married with 12 years and moved in with her husband with 18 years old.

2. At the age of 21 she started her six year Sadhana. She first spoke the name of the God Visnu “hari” as a mantra because her parents were followers of Vishnu. Her husband, however was a follower of Shiva, so she switched to the mantra “Shiva”. She danced to the mantras and then rested in a peaceful meditation afterward. After some months she began with bodily exercises of yoga that came to her spontaneously without having learnt them. She practiced these asanas intuitively. She practiced creative and intuitive hatha yoga, and did her mental exercises creatively and intuitively. She practiced the positive characteristics and the images that she needed at the right moment. The various divinities flowed through her mind. She visualized their forms, identified with them and thought their names as mantras and activated thus her kundalini energy.

3. After Anandamayi Ma had loaded her body and mind with spiritual energy, she rested for three years in the great peace (raja yoga). She hardly spoke (mauna) and did little. Mostly she just sat there. She didn’t need any more exercises. She had awakened her kundalini energy and it cleansed her body, mind and soul by itself. She only needed peace and quiet. She had to stop her energy from being used in outer activities. She had to live as calmly as possible so that the energy went inside and dissolved conflicts and tensions.

4. Anandamayi Ma was a master of hatha yoga. She gåve the world the way of creative yoga. Creative yoga consists of exercises for the body (hatha yoga), mental yoga (bhakti yoga), meditation (raja yoga) and the way of all-encompassing love (karma yoga).

5. In 1922, her husband explained that without the initiation of a guru there could be no greater progress along the spiritual way. So she decorated her room, lit incense and initiated herself. She connected with her inner guru and a mantra appeared suddenly in her mind.

6. At the end of her Sadhana, she reached a state of inner happiness that fit her title of “happy-spirited mother”. At this point, she wished for all beings to experience the level of joy she had felt. She wanted to share her enlightenment with the entire world and worked as a spiritual master in India for the rest of her life. As yogi Nils heard her sentence in 2001 (“ may all beings experience this joy”) he spontaneously threw a hand into the sky and cried, “here I am! I’m ready. I want to live in great happiness.” Anandamayi Ma heard him from the other side and sent him a dream. A little snake bit Nils and awoke his kundalini energy. Nils was flooded by light for three days. The snake is a symbol of the god Shiva. A little snake meant that Nils should develop himself slowly, toward enlightenment. And that’s how it went, too.

7. Anandamayi Ma taught a life of austerity as a yogi as well as a spiritual life within the context of a family. She recommended everyone, whatever their life situation, to meditate at a certain time each day. The core of her teachings was: “the highest calling of a person is to strive toward self-realization. All other obligations are secondary.” Those who practice spiritually 15 minutes every day will be blessed by her. Anandamayi Ma taught the unity of all religions. We can use spiritual exercises from all of the religions. We should see what works well for each of us personally.

8. Inner happiness can take hold in a person when the tension in body and spirit are dissolved. Buddha developed an ingenious way to do this. This was called “sitting, walking, and mind work”, If you switch between sitting and walking, then inner tension can be released in an optimal fashion. If you just sit, the mind becomes dull. Regular movement makes the mind clear and the body healthy. It gives people inner power. It enables people to take the spiritiual way. It gives them the strength to live as a winner. If you only walk or run, then the mind becomes restless. Inner happiness arises out of inner calm. If the body is held still and quiet, then you can come to the deeper dimensions of meditation. Meditating can be done while sitting or lying down. Both are good meditative positions. It varies from person to person as to which are the best. In addition to meditation and exercise, the dissolving of tension with thought work is an important method to come to enlightenment. A yogi should develop thoughts of love, wisdom and self-discipline. He has to keep his or her thoughts stiller and stiller until he or she lives entirely in calm and peace.

9. This basic model for the dissolving of tension has been expanded by Yogi Nils to include five activities: lying down (or sitting and meditating), reading (thought work), walking (exercise, yoga), doing good for others (work), and to enjoy life. Switching between these activities is an effective way to dissolve tension. This is his way into the light.

10. From a certain point in the course of maintaining calm, the energy of a person turns inward. He no longer lives through his outer activities. He lives from the perspective of inner cleansing, the dissolving of tension and the development of inner happiness. The yogi is then cleansed by his own life energy and doesn’t need to do very many spiritual exercises any longer. He or she then just needs to maintain a state of calm. Every yogi needs to find this point where energy goes inward. It is difficult to find, and difficult to maintain. Life energy can move to a state of over-activity or dullness. Both need to be stopped with self-discipline on a daily basis. An effective yogi life feels like constantly living against the stream of neurotic impulses. First the state of calm is boring and then suddenly the energy begins to work within. If you keep the state of calm, then inner happiness appears.

11. According to Swami Shivananda, enlightenment can appear through silence, spiritual exercises, and all embracing love. If a yogi lives alone in silence then half the way to enlightenment ist already gone. The second half is done with spiritual practices (yoga, meditation, positive thinking). The gate to a life in the light you pass with all-encompassing love. If a yogi lives mainly for the happiness of all beings and for a happy world then the ego will dissolve.

12. My spiritual daily schedule is the main techinque along my way to the light. Mainly, it takes a very sensitive and consistently practiced schedule to dissolve the tension in my body and spirit. I divide my spiritual exercises throughout the day so that a constant inner cleansing will take place.

13. A yogi feels out which techniques are needed at any moment. If the body is getting limp and flabby, he or she goes for a walk. If the mind is restless, he or she does some yoga or meditates. If the spirit feels against the spiritual path, the yogi reads a spiritual book. A yogi feels out where the tension lies and uses the right methods. The tension is usually found in that which the body and spirit don’t seem to want at the moment. Where the neurotic defense mechanisms are, that is the way to the light. On the other hand, it’s good to give the body and spirit what they want sometimes, otherwise more tension is created.

14. The way of inner happiness requires a lot of wisdom and inner feeling, and this needs to be developed daily. I begin each day with a positive attitude. Which exercises do I need in which order? Then I create a positive vision of the day and put a statue on my altar that reflects this vision. What is a positive quote for you today? Which activity brings you into the light?

15. The main principle for dealing with a painful situation is to behave correctly on the outside and to manage the thoughts and feelings as well as you can. If a problem appears, keep your head clear. What is the right thing right now? What needs to be done? Deal with the problem without becoming enmeshed in your feelings. Get a clear picture of reality. Solve the problem to the extent that you can. Consider how you can deal with stressful thoughts. Stop your stressful throughts! Are there some positive thoughts that will help you?

16. If the painful situation is over in the outer world, we can relax on the inside, too. We can heal our spiritual wounds. A Buddha goes through painful situations without spiritual wounds. But, as we aren’t yet Buddhas, wounds are likely to appear. At some point in these problems, we’ve probably created tension. This tension needs to be dissolved.

17. If we don’t heal ourselves after stress situations, then the wounds incurred stay in the soul. They limit our spiritual well-being and lead to neurotic behaviors and can also cause physical illness. For this reason, it’s important to take enough time to recover after a stressful situation. We let ourselves relax, and we are gentle with ourselves. We let go of bottled up rage, our fears and our grief. The painful situation is worked with, worked on, and cleansed from the soul until peace and positivity appear. We do relaxation exercises, yoga and meditation. We can go for walks, read spiritual books and enjoy something nice. With rest, exercise and some joy in life, our souls can be healed.

18. It’s important to examine your fears. It’s important to find the fears we’ve buried in us in order to let go of them. We think about our fears, we find positive sentences which help us. One could be “I accept reality, the way it is. I concentrate on my positive goals. I live as a winner.” Many of our fears can be dissolved with positive thoughts. It often helps to think clearly about the fears. Once we’ve recognized these fears, we can develop them into positive thoughts. In an emergency situation, we can think a positive sentence as long as a mantra to get the fearful thoughts to disappear.

19. For many people, it’s helpful to talk to others about problems. Who can you talk to? You can also send someone else a letter or email, or connect to enlightened masters or God.

20. Otherwise, there is the zen meditation. This meditation can be done while sitting, lying down, or when walking. We stop all of our thoughts for a short time until we come to a state of meditation (1 to 5 minutes). We concentrate on our problem, then think some positive sentences and let our feelings and thoughts take their course. We observe our thoughts from a distance. They can develop or die down as long as it takes before they disappear. The entire time we stay in a light meditative state. The main principle with the zen meditation is that we don’t think consciously, but let the thoughts go, that they do their own thinking. The problems dissolve into nothingness this way. Calm, wellbeing, and all-encompassing positivity grow in us. We reach light and inner happiness.

21. If a problem affects me particularly strongly, then I practice a ritual to overcome suffering. The first thing I do is take an oracle card (Tarot, Buddha oracle, Angel oracle). When shuffling the cards, I connect with an enlightened master or God and ask for guidance and help. Then I take a card, read the text, and think how the oracle card fits to my situation. Which strategies does the oracle recommend for my situation? What does the oracle say about my problem? Which helpful thoughts does it give to me?

22. I usually start to see things from a positive perspective when reading the oracle and thinking about the text. It makes me feel better when I recognize there is a positive strategy for every situation. A positive quote from the oracle strengthens the positive in me. Thinking about it leads me to a constructive consideration process of my problem at the time. I notice that there is something I can do. I am not a helpless victim. I can live as a winner. I can solve the problem.

23. After I take an oracle card, I read some pages in a spiritual book. I consider which book I need at the time. Which book gives me strength? Which book strengthens positive energy? A spiritual book has a positive energy field. If we take some time within this energy field, we achieve a more positive state of mind.

24.. After reading, I go for a walk for an hour. I move my rage and nervous emotions out of my body. I practice mantras, and do meditation (five minute thought stop). Then I think about the problem. After a half an hour, I usually feel better. I begin to see things clearer and in the right perspective. I am one with the world and myself.

25. After going for a walk, I do some yoga exercises and a longer meditation while lying down. I put some music on and stay lying down until my mind has come to rest. Then I get up, eat something nice and think about what else I need. Then I give it to myself as well. It’s often helpful to do something creative, like painting, writing, playing music and other forms of expression. We can do something good for others and bring some energy of love to them and ourselves. What is your way toward all-encompassing love and how can you take action for the happiness of all beings?

26. In times of bigger problems, I have to do several rounds of reading, walking, doing good, enjoying myself and meditating. Then I come to the point where peace and calm arise. After that I am gentle with myself and heal myself more and more. If a problem doesn’t go away, I give myself some time each day to work with bigger problems. Then I stop my thoughts. I don’t allow myself to think about the problem, because thinking about it too much is not productive and just increases stress.

27. Overcoming suffering is a creative process. You have to sense what you need at each moment. What is the best way to solve problems at the moment? What will lead you to inner peace and positiviity? People vary, and so need varied strategies. It’s important though to avoid addictive things such as pills, smoking, drugs, alcohol and too many sweets. It’s better to overcome problems with techniques for inner happiness. Then we grow with the problems. We raise ourselves above the problems and land in happiness one day. May that come to be for all of us.

28. Work with the psyche is a personal thing. Positive thinking helps for some people. Solving problems is also important. Supressing feelings is usually a bad idea from a spiritual perspective. But we can learn how to deal with our feelings and even learn to control them to a certain degree. Feelings come from thoughts. If we avoid negative thoughts, we avoid negative feelings. Often, we have a tiny window of time before thoughts manifest into feelings. In that moment we can decide to stay in inner peace.

29. The main work along the spiritual way is mostly work from the shadow side. We work with our negative characteristics like attachment, fear, addiction, grief, pride, rage and foolishness. We solve our problems. We accept things as they are. We integrate suffering into our lives. We develop our inner happiness, inner peace and our ability to just flow, and roll with things. We rise above our suffering.

30. The journey and the goal are intertwined. We need a spiritual goal to help us find our spiritual path. We should hang onto the goal until we’ve reached it. We should sense what is right with every step we take. Being focused on the end goal and being present in the moment are not mutually exclusive, rather they compliment one another. That is the way to go.

31. Enlightenment means intense work on one’s own psyche over a long period of time. Mother Meera says you need thousands of lives to reach enlightenment. The main thing is to see through the way of worldly enjoyment and to comprehend the meaning of inner happiness. If you recognize enlightenment as the main goal in life, then you can practice with that goal in mind. According to Amritanandamayi, you grow five times as fast if you live in peace and calm away from others. Sathya Sai Baba said that one needs three lives as a yogi to come to complete enlightenment. The quickest spiritual way is the way that can be practiced effectively for you personally, without overwhelming yourself. It’s possible to come to enlightenment in one life as a yogi, but that can be difficult if you have a lot of tension. It is easier to find your way in the light through several lifes. With every life, you grow a little in happiness, peace and love.

November

1. Mother Meera is an enlightened master who lives in Germany. She gives light and blessings as a free gift to all people. Her Darshan is free. In the beginning just a few people went to her. Now she is in the center of the spiritual scene in Germany. Nils recommends every yogi receive a blessing at least once in his or her life from an enlightened master. A Darshan is an important cleansing step along the spiritual way. Often, enlightenment energy is transferred that can develop into great grace one day. Mother Meera believes in the unity of religions and the right to choose individual paths in spirituality. Statements from Mother Meera:

“God is calm. Everything comes from the calm. In calm, more work can be done.” (live in calm and deal from your presence).

“I accept everyone who comes to me sincerely.”

“I look at every side of your being. I see everything in you, in order to see where I can help, heal and give strength.”

“ You can enjoy material life, but realize it’s a representation of the divine only.” (experience joy as a part of the spiritual path).

“Every religion has its holy books. It helps to read these books.”

“My work is for the whole world.”

“Those who come to me for Darshan, always get what they need.”

”Praying helps.”

”It’s not necessary to come to me, I can help everywhere.” (It’s important to mentally connect through a mantra, a prayer, a meditation).

”Grace and mercy come into effect immediately if the striving for it is authentic.”

2. An enlightened master connects enlightenment with all-encompassing love, empathy, and humility. He or she is modest. He or she doesn’t necessarily announce him or herself as an enlightened master. A master sees his or her fellow beings more than the elf. He or she lives for the spiritual way and to help with it, and not for the ego (money, riches, power, recognition).

3. It is an important question along the spiritual way to consider whether there is such a thing as heavenly mercy. Is there God, angels, Buddha, enlightened masters who can help us from the other side?

4. God (an avatar acting as a force of God) poseses the characteristics omni-presence, omnipotence, goodness, and is all-knowing. For this reason, he can see every person and give that person exactly what he or she needs spiritually. The more a spiritual person develops, the more they can participate in these characteristics.

5. It is good to visit the Satsang of an enlightened person. The important thing isn’t the teaching, but the enlightened energy that you come into contact with. Everyone gets what he or she needs, what is correct for their particular level of development. Those who have an enlightened master they connect with daily is blessed and receives leadership.

6. I’ve visited a lot of enlightened masters. Often, enlightenment energy is transfered directly, which results in a great step forward along my way. At the moment I visit the Satsangs of Mother Meera. Everytime, I experience something totally different and get a different type of energy. One time, my heart chakra was healed. Another time I felt her happiness energy in me. A third time I just enjoyed the good energy in the room.

7. Can we get help? According to my experience, yes. I feel the energy of the enlightened masters. They transfer energy from their images, statues, books and words. They come from what we perceive as nothingness, which is in fact more than just an empty space.

8. When do God, the angels and enlightened masters help us? When we connect with them through prayer, by invoking them, by visualizing them or by reading their books. We should do that every day. They will then lead us to enlightenment, if we’re ready for it. If we take the path of love, wisdom, humility every day, grace manifests in our lives. I feel lead by God and my enlightened masters. Everything develops at the right moment in the right way. I’m amazed by it myself, because I can hardly comprehend it.

9.Enlightenment is a good goal. There is nothing better. But there is the possibility of reincarnation. We don’t need to reach the goal in one life. You can take the right pace for you and develop through each life further into the light.

a. You live at a higher level of happiness. You feel more love, peace, strength and happiness. Christians can say that you live in paradise. If you have experienced enlightenment, you can say it is better to live enlightened than unenlightened. Enlightenment is the deeper meaning of life.

b. You are free of suffering. Christians spoke of deliverance. I would say that every fear disappears and you have so much strength and happiness in you that you can easily go through every situation in life. You can integrate suffering into your life. You can overcome everything through your inner peace, strength and all-encompassing love. You also get through death especially well.

c. After death, you come to the light. Then you live in paradise (in God) and can incarnate as an enlightened master (Siddha, Bodhisattva) on earth. If there is life after death, then the benefits are immeasurable. If there isn’t life after death, then as an enlightened being you have an optimal life on earth.

10. There are different ways to get to enlightenment. The main way is to live alone or in a little community away from society, to meditate and to work on one’s thoughts. Along this way, Buddha, the Christian desert fathers and yogi masters such as Swami Sivananda and Anandamayi Ma are guiding lights providing good examples. I have been living as a hermit yogi for 25 years because I have the feeling this is the best way for me to make spiritual progress. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is said that you’ve already gotten halfway to enlightenment by living alone as a yogi. Only a few people live that way. There are spiritual communities, Ashrams and convents. That can also be a good way to grow spiritually, especially with the help of an enlightened master.

11. Even if I prefer the yogic way, I do believe that with the help of an enlightened master, you can grow spiritually when living with a job and family. An enlightened master can send a lot of energy every day, and one can lead a spiritual life in a way that constant spiritual cleansing and growth take place. There are ways to combine a worldly life with spiritual growth. For most people, that is the main way to come to the light. The important thing is to emphasize spirituality and to connect with God and his enlightened masters. Living spiritually means to live according to the cornerstones of love, peace, truth, wisdom and self-discipline. It is helpful to have a plan. You can construct this plan according to your personal needs.

12. At the beginning of the spiritual way, peace, happiness, love, and trust develop. At some point an awakening can occur, which causes the concept of the self to dissolve and a perception of the unity of all things comes into being. But the way is still long after that. I experienced a great sense of inner peace and positivity after a phase of ego dissipation. However, I first recognized the great goal as my kundalini energy rose from the middle of my body to my head, to my crown chakra. Suddenly I was in a dimension of unimaginable happiness, peace, love and truth. In yoga, that’s called Sathyaloka, the location of great Truth. As a Christian, one would speak of the highest paradise where you sit beside God. It was first in this moment that I knew that the deeper meaning in life is to come to enlightenment. I didn’t have that feeling when I was first awakening. The first time that feeling appeared was when I had my great enlightenment experience. I recognized there what all religions strive for. There are various techniques in the different religions. In yoga there is hatha yoga, kundalini yoga and raja yoga (the highest meditation).

13. Along the spiritual path, you can get lost in the abyss. It is a trap along the spiritual way. People are given the ability to deal with this, by God. We can be a force for better behavior in the world, we put a stop to egomaniacs. We should give everyone in the world something to eat, stop war, and stop murder. We should work for a world of love, peace and wisdom. This way, a golden era in the world’s history can arise.

14. Love can cause the enlightened to incarnate onto earth once more to work for the good of all, just as Krishna and Jesus both did. I follow the teachings of the Buddhist Madhyamaka. According to these teachings, there are various levels in the cosmos and all of them are real. A spiritual master can deal on all of the levels, and be in all of the levels. He can build an identity when it is necessary, but also rest in God without an ego in order to enjoy highest happiness.

15. The more I go into unity, the less I am interested in doing things out in the world. I rest in my happiness and peace. But that is also a trap. An enlightened person has great capabilities to go out into the world and improve things. They can help their fellow beings to overcome their suffering and to be happy. The enlightenment is incomplete when you no longer can feel the suffering of your fellow beings. A full enlightened master is also completely connected with all of the beings in the cosmos. He or she can feel their suffering. Just as he or she came to happiness, the enlightened master also wants to bring others into happiness.

16. Jesus taught his followers to love their fellow beings. He didn’t disconnect himself from others. One only needs to look around in his or her own circle of aquaintances to find the way to love and helping. The important thing is the love to God and to other human beings. Another way it is to teach people to connect with enlightened masters. Those who ask God or the enlightened for help, will get an impulse to act. Through the connection of all beings, the enlightened are helped. Mother Meera explained that praying always helps. Those who pray daily or connect with an enlightened master are shown the way to the light.

17. A long time ago, a young man lived in India who wanted to be a Buddha and live in light. He called himself Amitabha and became a hermit. He went through a lot of spiritual crises. He put in a lot of effort to overcome his inner laziness and to figure out what was the most effective way to practice at any given moment and to do his spiritual exercises with self-discipline. Amitabha knew that only a few people can take the path of the lone yogi. The way to enlightenment is hard work. He therefore chose to create a space in heaven after his enlightenment which contained happy energy where even worldly people could land. Those who spoke the mantra “Om Amitabha” (in Japanese “Om Amida Butsu”, Tibetan “Om Amitabha Hri”) or even thought the mantra would land in paradise after death, as Amitabha promised. Amitabha meditated for thirty years and landed in complete enlightenment. Now he could bring all of his seriously practicing followers into paradise.

18. Amitabha probably lived around the same time as Jesus Christ. His teachings spread about 100 years after Christ in India, Tibet, China and Japan. He had a lot of enlightened followers who went in his footsteps. They are all connected with us through the Amitabha mantra. And through the Amitabha oracle. What does Amitabha say to you? Try the Amitabha oracle.

19. Visualize a large sun over your crown chakra. A golden Buddha sits in the sun (in the sky above you). The Buddha is you. The Buddha sees the suffering on earth and sends all beings light. Move your hand in blessing and think “I send light to.... May all people be happy. May the world be happy.”

20. An important cornerstone of Amitabha Buddhism is trusting Amitabha (the other power, Tariki). It is often taught that one cannot do anything for his or her own enlightenment. We can only pray and hope that Amitabha (God or an enlightened master) will save us. In this regard, there is a similarity with the Christian teachings of Martin Luther, that people can only be saved by the grace of God. I have argued against this on protestant online forums. This teaching is false and illogical. Jesus gave exact directions as to how one can become blessed, or enlightened. One has to purify the heart, live in all-encompassing love and to love God. Jacob wrote: ”Act on the words, don’t just listen. Didn’t Abraham become righteous by sacrificing his son (his ego) on the alter? One is saved through actions, not through faith alone.”

21. When striving toward enlightenment, we have to each take the respective, personally most effective way. From this perspective, Tariki (not practicing spiritual exercises, instead trusting solely in God) is a method that is sometimes helpful and sometimes not. To make a dogma of it is certainly the wrong way to go. Basically enlightenment happens through spiritual practice over a longer period. At the same time, we usually can’t find our way to enlightenment alone due to the ego fixation. We need leadership by an enlightened master. We need trust in the higher power, but also must work on ourselves intensively. For me, the optimal spiritual way is spiritual practice, practicing all-encompassing love, daily prayer or connecting with God, Amitabha or a personal enlightened master. I find the Amitabha teachings to be fascinating. They are a common thread between Buddhism and Christianity. They have Christian, Hindu and Buddhist elements. I personally don’t believe Buddha taught them. But someone had taught these at some point, and this person probably came from a Buddhist background. At any case, the teachings of the Buddhist Amitabha path have been spread far and wide and well-received from a lot of people. For me, the Buddhist Amitabha way is too restrictive in its typical portrayal. I would take a less non-dogmatic approach so that people from various religious backgrounds and individuals can learn from it and still take their personally correct approach.

22. An important point along the spiritual way is whether there is a God or a higher enlightened being that can help us from the other side. From my own experience and the knowledge I have at this point in time, I believe there is life after death. Near death research and reincarnation research as well as reports from the experiences of spiritual people also would lend weight to this conclusion. Many people can travel to the other side. They see the paradise level and meet higher beings. If there are higher beings that want to help us, then we should accept their help. If they want to lead us, bring us to enlightenment and lead us to paradise after death, then that is a huge gift. We should accept it.

23. There is life after death. There is a paradise on the other side. Everyone can reach this paradise. You can come to paradise through a mantra when dying. You can reach paradise with the help of an enlightened master. You can reach paradise through a positive life. All religions are methods to come to paradise. Every person can take the personally path to paradise. Prayer, mantra, meditation, invocation, visualization, oracle and reading a spiritual book are all good exercises.

24. Everyone wants to be happy and not suffer. We should put our lives together in a way that makes us happy. We should consider what we need, and then give that to ourselves. We should work for a happy existence for everyone on earth. Mostly, the happiness of a person comes from within. For that reason, we should develop our inner happiness. We should think positively, speak positively, and act positively. We should find positive role models to follow.

25. If there is life after death, we should live so that we come to a good place after we have passed. We can choose the masters who inspire us. We can choose to follow Jesus, Amitabha, Satyha Sai Baba, Mother Meera or other masters. We can work with God, the angels or the enlightened masters of yoga. The more we practice, the stronger is the connection to our enlightened helpers.

26. By visualizing paradise, enlightenment energy can become awakened in us. Everyone can imagine paradise so that they feel good in it. Paradise is a realm of enlightenment and light. It is good to lead a life of love, peace, self-discipline and inner happiness.

27. We can build up a paradise on earth. There is enough prosperity for everyone, we just need to share the riches of the earth fairly. No one needs to go hungry. But mostly, paradise is in everyone on the inside. We just need to change our consciousness so that we can recognize paradise in our world. We need to orient around the positive in our lives. We should be grateful for what life gives us.

28. My masters gave me the mantra “yes” in a dream. They showed me how one can get through death and reach paradise. Those who think of paradise will reach it. Christians go to the Christian heaven, Muslims to their version, Hindus to theirs. Enlightened beings can go where they want, because they transcend all forms.

29. There will always be some suffering on earth. However, most suffering has been created by humans themselves. We could organize life so that all people have enough to eat, so that there isn’t any more war and that the environment is clean. We could reduce suffering when dying by making pain medicine available to everyone, and by helping others to develop their enlightenment consciousness before dying.

30. A soul retains its individual consciousness unless it decides to dissolve itself within God. Buddha probably did just that. However, there are also souls which will continue to exist until all beings are enlightened. In Buddhism, there is the Bodhisattva path toward this end. In Hinduism, Vishnu is the great role model along the way of love. He incarnates again and again in order to help people when it is necessary to give them assistance on their spiritual way.

December

Shiva, the enlightened dancer with life (Nataraya)

1. In Hinduism, we find the term “Avatar”. An Avatar is an incarnation of God. Here there are dimensions of enlightenment to be found which exceed my experiences and my knowledge. I can only speculate. When I connect with an Avatar like Mother Meera or Sathya Sai Baba or Krishna or Jesus, can this Avatar lead me perfectly along my spiritual path into the light? I feel my life is guided. Everything happens at the right moment, but I also will admit that I don’t fully comprehend that. Many people strive toward enlightenment through intensive spiritual practice. But many others try to reach their goal through prayer to an avatar and through the guidance of that avatar, find their way.

2. Enlightenment is self-realization. Enlightenment is clarity, peace, calm, happiness, love, joy, knowledge of the connectedness of all things. In enlightenment there is no boredom. You live in happiness, and that is enough. The more enlightened you are, the more you lose interest in worldly things. However, it makes you happy to do good things for others.

3. Enlightenment is also just a word. Enlightenment exceeds all terms. Terms can be helpful. The term enlightenment is helpful when it helps people to reach their spiritual goals. The goal can also be described with the words God, paradise, light, nirvana, happiness, love and self-realization. The goal and the way are important. Both form the context. Some people find it helpful to concentrate on the goal, for others concentrating on the way to the goal is more helpful, and for most it helps to concentrate on both. It’s good to take one step at a time, but without being focused on a goal, you can wind up wandering aimlessly through life and get caught up in the various traps that life lays out. Those who have a clear goal can find their way easily.

4. If we visualize God on the outside, we can awaken God on the inside. And if we awaken God in the inside through our spiritual exercises (purification, prayer, meditation, doing good, all-embracing love), we will see God in the outside.

5. In my view, the path of enlightenment solves the problems of the world at a deeper level when it is combined with the path of all-encompassing love. How do you want to convince a capitalist or a dictator to not exploit other people or try to have power over them? That would only work if you can convince such people about the path of inner happiness and love, as it has happened before in Buddhism. The Mongolians became peaceful through Buddhism. The cruel Indian ruler Ashoka brought happiness to the land once he became a Buddhist. And that is also how it should happen worldwide. The leading elites should lose their overdriven egos and develop wisdom, peace and love for of all.

6. Every religion provides a way to enlightenment. The various methods can be combined when done so wisely. Followers of the various religions don’t need to fight one another. They can go to the light together and help one another. I see myself as a mystic who is above all religions and spiritual paths.

7. An enlightened being can incarnate on earth if he or she would like to help mankind. If there were no enlightened beings on earth, mankind would probably just have made itself extinct. Right now we are in the middle of a transitionary period, to another, higher level of consciousness.

8. Whether various spiritual masters who have risen are at the same level as Jesus, Buddha or Krishna, I don’t know. I don’t know them. I would, however, sense and feel whether they are authentic or not.There are those who pretend to be enlightened in order to use others. I would compare their teachings with those of Buddha, Jesus and Krishna.

9. Enlightenment is difficult to explain because it cannot be explained, it must be experienced. Enlightenment is life in the klingdom of God. It is the way to sainthood, or inner healing and perfection, The way of enlightenment is developed with qualities like joy, happiness, strength and all-encompassing love.

10. I experience enlightenment as spiritual energy. Spiritual energy is consciousness energy. If you only have a little consciousness energy, you concentrate mainly on yourself. That’s OK that way, because the energy needs to be protected and expanded. When the energy expands, then it extends out of the body. In this case, the person is not only aware of one’s own body, but also the surrounding people and environment, and less of oneself because most of the energy is outside of the self.

11. Spiritual energy has the characteristics happiness, love, peace, power and clarity. If the peace and clarity expand, then the mind comes to rest and be calm. The ego disappears because all the theories and concepts floating in the mind come to rest. The ego is helpful for life in the world, in a material sense. According to my experience, the ego disappears when happiness and peace have reached a certain level. The closer you get to this leve, the smaller the ego and the greater the harmony and the consciousness of the unity of all things. I feel more and more like a part of the cosmos. I am in harmony with the world. I live from my higher self.

12. I have also experienced that the ego can be dissolved on purpose. The ego consists of attachment to enjoyment, the rejection of suffering, and unwisdom. We can think:” I accept things as they are. I let go of my desires. I live in light, peace, and unity.” If we have strong tendencies to desire things, then the ego will be renewed again and again. Therefore, it is a good idea to shrink the wishes and desires down over the long term and to cultivate characteristics like acceptance, humility, inner peace and all-encompassing love.

13. My experience has shown me that enlightenment is the deeper point of life and that there are specific ways to get there. There is the Buddhist way. There is also Yoga, and there is Christianity. God is above all religions. Every good spiritual technique can be practiced by anyone.

14. Enlightenment is the way to rise above suffering. You become freed from suffering, fear, addiction, aggression, bodily pain, spiritual pain and unhappiness. You become anchored in God.

15. I practice the connection of Hatha yoga, Karma yoga and Bhakti yoga (master yoga, Guru yoga). I pray to my spiritual role models. I work for a happy world and for the happiness of all beings. I meditate, go for walks and practice various yogic exercises. Find the spiritual path that is best for you.

16. Everything in the cosmos follows the cause and effect principle. From that point of view, there isn’t any free will. Everything is pre-determined. It’s difficult to know what has been pre-determined, so we have to do as if we have free will. In enlightenment we can feel that everything is determined. We are instruments of the cosmos like cogs in a watch. You can go about life in a relaxed way if you recognize that everything has already been determined. Then you live completely in harmony with yourself and the world. One of my enlightenment experiences I reached by imagining everything as determined.

17. An enlightened master can recognize that everything has been pre-determined once he or she has reached the level of all-knowingness. Then the master knows the past, present and future of his or her students. And here there seems to be a mystery that Sai Baba reports from. If a person can see through pre-determination, he or she can rise above it and deal freely. He or she can put new impulses into motion. That became clear in a dream of my Tibetan master Lonchenpa. He showed me that he had re-written my book of life. He knew my future and could change it for the better thanks to his spiritual abilities.

18. I am a humble person. God works to make sure that I stay humble. He brings enough suffering and difficulty into my life so that I don’t feel too amazing to myself. At the beginning of my search 30 years ago, I was enthused by my spiritual experiences. But during the course of the years, that has become mainly meaningless. They are just experiences. What matters is lasting enlightenment, and I am far from that. Furthermore, I have established that you can have the greatest spiritual experiences and most people don’t care and some will even deny they happened. It is more of a burden to speak of them. I only do it to help others along their way.

19. Jesus had an enlightened master who transferred enlightenment energy to him. That was John the Baptist. Jesus demonstrated that Christians should have an enlightened master. The transfer of enlightenment energy is the fastest way into the light. Jesus meditated after the energy transfer for 40 days in the desert and his enlightenment was complete. The devil (the ego) disappeared and the angels (spiritual energy) served him. He could heal others and help them spiritually. He became one with God. God spoke through him.

20. The first Christians had Jesus as a physically present enlightened master. The Apostles were also enlightened and could pass the enlightenment energy (holy ghost). Then came the Christian desert fathers who had their enlightened fathers and mothers. There were many enlightened masters among the Christians. I am thinking mostly of Master Eckhart, Teresa from Avila, John of the Cross and the holy Frances.

21. I interpret the Bible in terms of enlightenment. The term Son of God means that a person is enlightened, he lives in God (in the kingdom of God) and is God’s son for that reason. The teaching of the trinity describes the relationship between an enlightened person and God. God is the higher consciousness dimension in the cosmos, the unity dimension, the light. The Holy Ghost is the spiritual energy that fills a person with the light of God. An enlightened person as the son of God can heal with the light of God and perform miracles.

22. Those who would like to have experiences of God and enlightenment should lead an intensively spiritual life. He or she needs to work on him or herself. This person should cultivate characteristics like love, peace, truth and self-discipline, and meditate and pray and live in love. He or she should follow Jesus radically and not lead a life of material enjoyment.

23. The desert mother Amma Synkleitika knew that hermits who would like to lead lives in God have to deal with a lot of hard inner work and inner fights, but in the end there is indescribable joy. In order to get through these inner fights, the desert fathers mainly concentrated on death. Those who think of their death can overcome every weakness. The thoughts of death and paradise give a spiritual person the power to follow his path to its goal. On the other hand, one should not overwhelm oneself as a monk or hermit. Many hermits needed a flower, others didn’t. Those who need joy along their way, should give themselves the joy they need.

24. I celebrate Christmas with my old mother who is 90 years old, my sister and one of her sons. The other son is in Australia. On the first and second Christmas days I visit two neighbors. In that regard, I’m not alone. I’ve lived as a hermit for 25 years. It was difficult to be alone on Christmas the first years, because I had lived in a family before that. But, after some years passed I got used to it. Now it isn’t a big deal. I have developed my own Christmas ritual. I light candles and incense. I watch the Protestant and Catholic Christmas services on TV. I also visit people when possible.

25.In my family, Christmas was always celebrated. We were atheists, but Christmas was an important ritual to meet people, celebrate and give gifts. I feel connected to Christianity. For that reason, I like to celebrate Christmas and think of the birth of Jesus. It is a happy event that a spiritual person was born into the world.

26. Jesus taught us to live in a way that would bring us to paradise after death. How do you imagine your paradise? What needs to be there for you to be happy? Do you want to meet your friends, partner, children, relatives?

27. The paradise of yogis is called Siddhaloka. It can also be called Shiva Loka. It is the home of the God Shiva. By Swami Muktananda, Siddhaloka is the most beautiful paradise with the highest happiness energy and the greatest potential for spiritual growth.

28. A little blue star was his soul vehicle. Muktananda described exactly how one gets to Siddhaloka. You meditate, concentrate on the skull chakra and a blue star appears over the crown chakra. Muktananda flowed into this star with his soul, and the star brought him to paradise.

29. Muktananda experienced Siddhaloka as a paradise full of rest, calm and peace. Everywhere there was blue, cheerful light. Muktananda met a lot of yogis and yoginis (female yogis). There were high mountains, green forests, bubbling springs and flowing streams. Deers played on meadows full of flowers. In the middle there was a sea.

30. Paradise is a state of enlightenment, inner happiness and awakened kundalini energy. Then you have a consciousness of paradise due to your great happiness. Through visualization of a happy world, you can awaken happiness. How you can get there depends on you. For some people, it is enough to imagine a beautiful landscape where they sit with people they love. The inner energy begins to flow when they imagine springs, rivers or a sea in paradise. The visualization of a tree lets the energy flow through the middle energy channel. Once it reaches the head, then one becomes happy. The same effect can arise when imagining oneself as a Buddha, Shiva or a goddess in a palace or beautiful house. Around the house you plant beautiful flowers.

31. Every concept of enlightenment has to be destroyed again and again when they cease to be helpful. The enlightenment is above all concepts and images of it. We find our way to the light when we are consistent with the basics of truth, wisdom and love. We should always be in good contact with our inner voice of truth and wisdom, our conscience. We should connect us with an enlightened master or God (the light) every day. May we all live in happiness, peace and love.