Reviews
"One of the best writings on the subject that we've seen, bringing Eastern values to bear on living in the West."
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Hinduism Today
"Swami Radha's discussion of commitment, intimacy and sexuality will be helpful to those readers searching for ecstatic union, both human and divine."
- Stanley Krippner, Ph.D, author of Extraordinary Dreams and How to Work with Them
"This book deals skillfully and wisely with a sensitive issue in spiritual life-whether sex, love and marriage are compatible with the search for Self-realization. This insightful book will generate a deeper understanding of how to transform our relationships and our sexual energy, which is also the energy of Cosmic Consciousness, to serve life's ultimate purpose."
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Yoga International
" Radha's wisdom is meant not only for the married and those intending to be, but holds unexpected riches for the celibate and monastic seeker as well."
- New Frontier
Excerpt
From Chapter 9 Karma
When attaining the goal of Cosmic Consciousness has become acutely important for us, we have to consider the place of sex, love, and marriage in our lives. It is important to understand that the intensity of our desires plays a deciding factor in rebirth. Each life is a repetition of pleasure and pain. The pain and suffering usually outweigh the pleasures, so if we were to give this some serious thought we might realize it would be preferable to be relieved of rebirth.
Within each cycle of birth and rebirth it is possible to achieve the goal of Liberation. Anyone who achieves this purpose becomes an excellent being, a Bodhisattva or, in Christian terms, a messenger of God functioning under the Divine Law, incapable of wrongdoing. The life of a such a person is dedicated exclusively to pure, perfect, compassionate actions to help others achieve the same goal. (Purity and perfection are not to be understood in the common moral sense, but rather within the Divine Law.)
But if we lapse into greed and selfish gratification, the Divine, by whatever name, demonstrates a love of such great compassion that, life after life, we are given another chance to undo our mistakes. Human beings have seen their gods as wrathful, vengeful, and fear-inspiring, but we now have a fuller grasp of the Divine because at this stage of development we have come of age and have grown in understanding.
The saints of both sexes had marvelous visions of Jesus, who epitomized for them the perfection of the Most High, but strangely enough they were also assailed by destructive forces that they called Satan. Satan is not some supernatural creature, but rather the personification of negative characteristics and tendencies in us. We can rightfully be called a demon, for example, if our greed has imposed pain and suffering on others. By accepting that God is within, we must also accept the opposite - Satan (or the demon).
This may be the place to remind ourselves that the Power (or Energy within) is neutral. How the Power is used is the awesome responsibility of each one of us. To give an illustration, everyone has the power to think, and that power is neutral, but we are each responsible for our thoughts and the actions that follow.
The kingdom of God within gives us the ability to be a blessing to all; to be a demon is to be a curse to all. Between those two extremes there is a scale as wide as the arc of a rainbow, and as multi-colored as its subtle shadings. Ma-chig-lag, who lived at the time of the Tibetan, Milarepa, taught her devotees that a demon is anybody who keeps you from fulfilling the purpose for which you took birth, even a loving parent who tries to tie you to tradition and duty.
Even if we have been born in humble surroundings, each of us can become either a saint or a demon. The purpose of life is the same for both - to seek Liberation. We can become a demon of self-gratification, even a criminal, but the evil person will also be given a chance to achieve the sublime goal.
In many lifetimes we have suffered because of karma. Even a slight understanding of the retribution of karma shows that it can be compared to punishment or reward. However, karma offers us the opportunity to undo our mistakes and learn our lessons by accepting the challenges that come in life. Cause and effect need to be well understood. Over-simplification is tempting, but confusing, and finally frustrating. No definite or absolute statements can be made, because all depends on our individual awareness. We have the opportunity to undo bad actions and, by exercising proper choice and discrimination, we can increase our good actions. In the process we gain more insights, which help in making better choices in the future, recognizing that we can indeed become masters of our own destiny.
The practicing yogi or yogini accepts this karmic law of retribution and is goaded on to meditation, possibly even to embracing asceticism, in an effort to prevent greed from again taking the upper hand. The monkey ego that tries to take the throne in the kingdom of wisdom has to be removed. Our essence will then be allowed to come to the foreground, and the personality aspects of the ego, that had previously been allowed to interfere and control, will be slowly dispersed.
© 1992 timeless
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