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Avatar & the Yoga University by Jin Hee Moon
The Bihar Yoga Bharati (B.Y.B.) is the only Yoga University in the world. It combines managing a world network of Yoga ashrams with a higher educational institution. B.Y.B. provides two years of post-graduate courses in applied Yogic science, Yoga philosophy and Yoga psychology. B.Y.B also manages the worldwide delivery of a one-year Yoga diploma course and a four-month Yoga certificate program. B.Y.B. ashrams are found in Australia, France, Greece, several in Europe, Japan, US, Korea, and South America to name just a few. B.Y.B. has a student body of 150 to 250 students who come from all over the world to study under the Bihar Swamis, who follow the Poarna Sanyas tradition and live in the ashram. According to the Poarna Sanyas tradition, the Bihar Swamis do not engage in any commercial activity and devote their entire life to the path of Yoga and to their guru. Since they rarely leave the ashram, you may wonder how they came to do The Avatar Course. Since they rarely leave the ashram, you may wonder how they came to do the Avatar Course. It is an interesting story of grace. Their guru, Paramahamsa Niranjanananda, received a copy of Harry's book, Living Deliberately from an Avatar Master who was on the B.Y.B. post graduate course. Paramahamsa Nfranjanananda, who is widely regarded as an enlightened soul, resonated with Harry's words.
The announcement was made, and the Swamis started the course. Immediately they were surprised by unexpected pleasant experiences of the Resurfacing exercises. The expressions of interest and nodding heads increased as the afternoon passed.
When the time came for the "Walk For Atonement" exercise the Swamis did it as a walking meditation, and some sobbed deeply in relief and reconciliation. "Feel It" exercises opened a door to a sea of still ness. They flowed with nature, moving like a river that finds its way into the deep ocean of undefined aware ness. Section II exercises. It was interesting to see the Swamis work on a single primary for hours. A lifetime of secondaries (non-deliberate creations) were revealed and set free. The Source List brought them through even more secondaries, and many recognized that in place of a deliberately created reality, they were living in the confusion of manifested secondaries. . . . there were many expressions of appreciation to have the opportunity of experiencing Avatar. By day four, everyone had realized the power of the primary. They created deliberately still moments-no secondaries, no reactions, no judgments. The amazing, graceful processes of Section II brought them through layers of confusion into pure source.
Since these were Swamis, living a path of selfless service, their limitations and personal upsets were far less than people who live in the world, but they discovered that they did hold many strong beliefs and fixed points of view. These strong viewpoints were
handled in the Avatar way-a beautiful way of self-realization, self-handling, self-solving, and self-reconstruction without struggle, without fight, as only self can do. Section III initiation. The creation handling process deepened the quiet within. All experienced the relaxation of the physical body and the awakening of expanded consciousness. The rundowns all went very smoothly, and there were many expressions of appreciation to have the opportunity of experiencing Avatar. All of the Swamis send gratitude to Harry for providing such wonderful tools and gratitude to their guru for allowing them the experience of Avatar. After the course.
· Volume XIV Issue 2 |