Yogananda, Paramahansa, 1893-1952; Yogis -- India -- Biography
“The interpenetration of man’s three bodies is expressed in many
ways through his threefold nature,” my great guru went on. “In
the wakeful state on earth a human being is conscious more or less
of his three vehicles. When he is sensuously intent on tasting,
smelling, touching, listening, or seeing, he is working principally
through his physical body. Visualizing or willing, he is working
mainly through his astral body. His causal medium finds expression
when man is thinking or diving deep in introspection or meditation;
the cosmical thoughts of genius come to the man who habitually
contacts his causal body. In this sense an individual may be
classified broadly as ‘a material man,’ ‘an energetic man,’ or ‘an
intellectual man.’
“A man identifies himself about sixteen hours daily with his
physical vehicle. Then he sleeps; if he dreams, he remains in his
astral body, effortlessly creating any object even as do the astral
beings. If man’s sleep be deep and dreamless, for several hours he
is able to transfer his consciousness, or sense of I-ness, to the
causal body; such sleep is revivifying. A dreamer is contacting
his astral and not his causal body; his sleep is not fully refreshing.”
I had been lovingly observing Sri Yukteswar while he gave his
wondrous exposition.
“Angelic guru,” I said, “your body looks exactly as it did when
last I wept over it in the Puri ashram.”
“O yes, my new body is a perfect copy of the old one. I materialize
or dematerialize this form any time at will, much more frequently
than I did while on earth. By quick dematerialization, I now travel
instantly by light express from planet to planet or, indeed, from
astral to causal or to physical cosmos.” My divine guru smiled.
“Though you move about so fast these days, I had no difficulty in
finding you at Bombay!”
“O Master, I was grieving so deeply about your death!”
“Ah, wherein did I die? Isn’t there some contradiction?” Sri
Yukteswar’s eyes were twinkling with love and amusement.
“You were only dreaming on earth; on that earth you saw my
dream-body,” he went on. “Later you buried that dream-image. Now
my finer fleshly body-which you behold and are even now embracing
rather closely!-is resurrected on another finer dream-planet of
God. Someday that finer dream-body and finer dream-planet will pass
away; they too are not forever. All dream-bubbles must eventually
burst at a final wakeful touch. Differentiate, my son Yogananda,
between dreams and Reality!”
This idea of VEDANTIC {FN43-12} resurrection struck me with wonder.
I was ashamed that I had pitied Master when I had seen his lifeless
body at Puri. I comprehended at last that my guru had always been
fully awake in God, perceiving his own life and passing on earth,
and his present resurrection, as nothing more than relativities of
divine ideas in the cosmic dream.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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