By Gurudevi Nirmalananda
Pilgrimage is a sacred journey, practiced in Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and native American traditions, as well as yoga.
It is one of the practices that has done me a world of good for almost 50 years, beginning with my first trip to Ganeshpuri in 1977.
A holy site is important for only one reason – the effect it has on you. It opens you to the greater reality within. The inner infinity.
Many people go on pilgrimage so they can open to God, whom they place as being outside of themselves. Yet, when they experience God, they have an inner experience. They experience God inside. It is the inner experience that matters.
This is yoga’s sole purpose and goal. To help you find the Divine within yourself, who is your own Self. By being at satsang, you are on a pilgrimage to the infinite — within. Yet you need external help to get there. Why?
When you rely on only the resources, skills, talents and knowledge you already have, you’ll get the results you have been getting. To get a different result, you need training from one who is farther along than you.
I got it from my Guru, who got it from his Guru, who got it from his Guru, in a lineage that stretches back to the beginning of human history. Where did the first yogis get it? They got it from God.
As documented in the ancient texts from India, they called upon God as the primordial Being, the Source of the universe, the creator, the protector, the chastiser, the one who saves and uplifts – it’s all there in the most ancient of texts.
They did ceremonies, intricate and powerful ceremonies, to invoke God’s blessings — praying for good weather, good crops, health and happiness. You know, the usual stuff. And they experienced that their own inner state was uplifted when they did these ceremonies – flames, fire, offerings, the chanting of mantras.
In that inner deepening, they had insights into how the universe works, into how the mind works, into the deeper essence that underlies it all. Revelations. Illuminative insights. Inner wisdom, revelations from God.
In the Yoga Sutras, the sage Patanjali describes it this way:
Sa purveshaam api guruh kalena anavacchedat.
— Yoga Sutras 1.26
Eternal, beyond time, God is the teacher of the ancients.
The ancient sages got it from God. I’ll call it a cosmic download.
Now, this is not a new and unusual thing. We are used to hearing about God giving teachings. The Old Testament is honored as Divine revelation from God. From the Ten Commandments through the prophets, it’s all God’s word.
The New Testament is Jesus words and life story – more Divine revelation. Muhammed wrote the Koran over a period of 23 years of Divine revelations – all dictated by God.
So when the texts from India cite God as the source, it’s not news. It’s rather reassuring, actually, that God is paying attention and trying to help out. Yes! We need the help!
We need someone who can take us by the hand and lead us out of our own blind spots — to our own inner light. The Guru knows the way. This means they are not trapped in their own blind spots, so they won’t get trapped in yours. Nor will they let you stay…