In this lesson, I'll be talking about the rishis the importance of the Upanishads the Aveda Vedanta path. Swami Vivekananda CW Leadbeater and his book, I thought the chakras Swami Vivekananda and Yogi budgin. Although there's evidence of knowledge of Kundalini dating as far back as 2500 BC, with the Sumerian caduceus, the eastern tradition of Kundalini that we are most familiar with in modern times, goes back at least 2000 years. It is this ancient Indian tradition mixed with modern Western tradition that this course focuses on the importance of learning the history of a tradition and modality was deeply instilled in me by my Reiki Master, and thus I feel it is important to teach the history of Kundalini as best as it It can be understood in modern times. In order to truly understand Kundalini, you must understand its roots. Quote, in ancient India, the holy sages known as rishis, sought enlightenment by exploring within their bodies and mines to discover the supreme divinity hidden deep inside.
Their remarkable insights and the special techniques they devised, were recorded in Sanskrit scriptures, called Upanishads. A total of 108 Upanishads are included in the Vedas, the main Scriptures for all Hindu religious and spiritual practices. 20 of those Upanishads are dedicated to the theory and practice of Kundalini Yoga. These yoga Upanishads are the ultimate source for the entire body of teachings on Kundalini Yoga. The separate tradition of Aveda Vedanta is based on 12 other Upanishads which are focused on gaining spiritual knowledge rather than yogic practice. All 180 pani sheds contain the sacred revelations of the retreats.
And quote Advaita Vedanta refers to the non dualistic School of Hindu philosophy, and Veda means absence of the duality between subject and object. We had VEDA school believes that Brahma is the one and only reality and everything else is a projection or illusion. This school also believes that Atma, the individual self, has no separate existence of its own. It is a projection or reflection of Brahma, in each being. In other words, it's pure consciousness experiencing itself through each person. Quote, it is conceptualizing, thinking, imagining creative, non stuff and it is constantly interacting with itself to create all modes of experience, and quote, in Advaita, a Jeeva is a diluted soul experiencing duality and separation due to egoism, desires, karma, and other impurities.
When the person is fully withdrawn and made silent through detachment, purity and renunciation, they can see the Supreme Self hidden in all and maintain liberation. The rishis envision sacred places in the body to be visited through an inner pilgrimage. This inner pilgrimage is a meditation practice in which you deliberately imagine particular deities and sacred places within your body. The de sharna Upanishads say that the humble Is are at the top of your head. Lord Shiva dwells in your forehead or nasi is between your eyebrows. Kurukshetra is in your chest and Priyanka is in your heart.
When the ratio is portrayed the seven chakras, their intent was not to describe objects that actually exist in the body. Rather, they prescribed to practice in which chakra was deliberately superimposed on the body or to be visualized for the sake of meditation. Quote, in the body up to the knee, is the aspect of Earth from their till hip. It is the aspect of water. Up to the heart is the aspect of fire. Up to the middle of eyelids is the aspect of air and then up to the middle of the skull is the aspect of the sky in the aspect of Earth, Brahma has to be placed in the aspect of water.
Vishnu should be placed in the aspect of fire Rudra should be placed in the aspect of air I Suarez should be placed in in the aspect of sky. It's what a Shiva should be placed. In quote Swami Vivekananda known as, quote unquote, America's first guru, wrote the concepts of yoga, meditation and Indian wisdom to America in September 1893, at the first world's parliament of religions in Chicago. his speeches at the world's parliament of religions made him famous as an orator by divine right and as a messenger of Indian wisdom to the Western world. After the parliament, Swami Vivekananda spent nearly three and a half years spreading Bhutan mostly in the eastern parts of the US and also in London. Swami Vivekananda built a bridge between Indian culture and the Western culture by interpreting Hindu scriptures, philosophy, institutions, and way of life to the Western people in an ayah, dim which they could understand.
He also added several original concepts based on his own transcendental experiences and visions of the future. Quote, you cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself. You have to grow from the inside out. No one can teach you none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul. And quote, first published in 1927, the chakras a monograph, written by famed clairvoyant CW Leadbeater was the first to introduce the chakras to the west.
However, Meet Ted Atma Nanda described it as, quote, filled with Western occultism and doctrines of the Theosophical Society of which Leadbeater was a member whose perspectives were utterly foreign to the original text of the species. In quote. having read Peter's book myself, I can say that Swami Tad Atma Nanda isn't wrong. I'd beaters descriptions of the chakras are very much foreign to the original text of the reshoots. But I don't think led Peters views were entirely incorrect either. I don't agree with all of it, but I do see it as a mix of Eastern and Western perspectives.
Leadbeater as a clairvoyant, along with others, described the chakras from a psychic view rather than a purely philosophical view. He along with the other clairvoyance, psychically saw the shakarez then described them as best he could In the 1970s Swami muktananda introduced Kundalini Yoga to the west, teaching your version extensively adapted by the Kashmiri Shiva tradition to which he belonged. In 1975, he founded the Siddha yoga ashram in Oakland in the California Bay Area, and founded the SI d a foundation in the United States to administer the global work of Siddha yoga meditation. He also wrote many books 16 of which are still kept in print by the si da foundation. Around the same time, Yogi budgin brought his version of Kundalini Yoga from India to the United States. Replacing its traditional Sanskrit mantras with others from his Sikh path.
He gave his first public lecture in the United States on January 5 1969, at the East West Culture Center. Despite the centuries old taboo against teaching Kundalini Yoga publicly, Yogi budgin knew that it was the most effective technology he could share to heal bodies and minds. In his Kundalini yoga classes, he told stories about the Sikh gurus and talked about the virtues and values that would bring happiness. Over the next few years, he sowed the seeds of institutions and events that have multiplied worldwide, attracting thousands of people who embrace the three h o way of life to provide structure for the teachings. The three h o Foundation was legally incorporated in California on July 29 1969. In the Kundalini Research Institute was founded in 1971.
Through his efforts, Sikh Dharma became officially incorporated and recognized by the US government as a religion on April 10 1973.