I am seated in the hearts of all.
—Bhagavad Gita 15.15
It is possible to look everywhere
for the Truth of our being and still
not find it. The senses can’t show it to us. The mind gives us theories about it.
Intellect discerns what it could be. The emotions contribute a felt sense. Intuition
offers a glimpse. Yet from any of these vantage points, the whole remains hidden
from our view. The kingdom of God is within you. The realization of wholeness, of
Oneness, is within you. What is the way in? How do we access this realm of God
within and know it for ourselves? This was the burning question that brought me
to the path of yoga. And the great discovery of yoga—that there is an inner way, a
proven path of Self-discovery—has satisfied my heart and captured my attention
ever since.
The philosophy and practice of yoga is called the science of Self-realization
because it offers a universally applicable, step-by-step, time-tested method for
accessing spiritual knowledge that is innate. We do not acquire spiritual real-
ization; it is revealed from within. While we may spontaneously experience an
opening to this inherent knowing on occasion, yoga provides a method that gives
us predictable access to it. The way yoga offers is simple: be still.
When we intentionally focus our attention within, the restless movements of
thought activity subside. Through that clarity, we can experience That which is
always present and conscious but does not move or change. We have found the
door of the heart, the direct way to experience our essence of being. Once we
find that door, how to regularly cultivate stillness becomes our next quest.
Yoga teaches us how. For some valuable insights into this method, read what
Dr. Christopher Key Chapple has to say about the nature of the mind in the
article, The Clear Jewel.
In this issue of Enlightenment Journal, you’ll discover several other resources to
support the inner way of stillness, Self-discovery, and spiritually conscious living.
Learn more about the energetic pathways of your spiritual nature in the article
on the chakra system by Roy Eugene Davis. Explore the hatha yoga feature on
the tree pose and discover what your body-mind-spirit connection can teach you
about balance in daily life. Stillness, that’s the key.
Ellen Grace O'Brian, Editor
EnlightenmentJournal@CSEcenter.org
FROM THE EDITOR'S CUSHION
Everyday, enlightenment.