Kriya Yoga & The Law of One Comparison

The two courses of study that have had the greatest impact on my life are the Law of One and Kriya Yoga. In this article, I hope to compare these two incredible philosophies and demonstrate their similarities. I found much of the philosophical information presented by Ra in the Law of One, to also appears in Yogic Philosophy. This captured my attention right off the bat and allowed me to quickly recognize Kriya Yoga as the perfect practice for me to adopt in order to help live the Law of One.

To begin, the practice of Yoga is much more than what us Westerners commonly think of it as (i.e. just physical postures/asanas). Rather, it is a disciplined lifestyle that engages the mind, body, and spirit. This practice allows one to become physically and mentally strong in order to practice meditation for longer periods to connect with the Divine/Creator. Looking at the definition of Kriya Yoga in particular, the word 'Kriya' is commonly understood to represent some sort of 'action', typically a 'cleansing action'. 'Yoga' represents 'unification', typically unification with our true essence or union with the infinite. Putting these together, Kriya Yoga, is seen as union with the infinite through action, or any action that brings us closer to realizing our true essence as the Creator.

Kriya Yoga is considered an ancient practice that goes back thousands of years but was lost during the Dark Ages until it was reintroduced by Mahavatar Babaji (Great Avatar) in the mid 1800's who began re-teaching these techniques under the name 'Kriya Yoga'. Faithfully practicing Kriya is said to be an accelerated way to work through one's karma and raise one's consciousness. The practices of Kriya Yoga focus on meditation techniques that involve energy and breath control (pranayama) to purify oneself on the path towards Self-Realization. This practice also incorporates many aspects from other types of yoga (i.e. Hatha, Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, and Raja Yoga) making it many faceted, containing numerous avenues of investigation.

Although I have not been formally initiated into Kriya Yoga, I have dedicated the last few years to diligently studying these teachings/techniques through classes and books. During this time, I have acquired a considerable amount of knowledge on Kriya Yoga that has been helpful on my spiritual journey. Therefore, I am using this article as an opportunity to share this information with the Law of One community and any others interested, in hopes that it may be as helpful for them. I am anticipating that anyone reading this article is familiar with the Law of One, but if not, I would recommend checking out my initial Blog post on the Law of One to learn more. In an attempt to keep some rhythm to this article, many of the Ra quotes have been shortened to only the applicable sections but I have provided links to each full quote if the reader desires to explore further.

When studying the Law of One in general, I've seen in my experience and in those of others, that it can be easy to get caught up in the mental/intellectual aspects of the material. However, I have found that there should also be a practical technique for one to utilize to facilitate deeper understandings and experiences from these teachings. Although there is immense benefit to the philosophical ideas that Ra has to offer, they can be notably enhanced by the instructive and prescriptive spiritual practices of Kriya Yoga.

One last advisory I wanted to make is that Kriya Yoga is not the only way to achieve many of the qualities that we will discuss in relation to the Law of One. There are many other spiritual practices that also relate; however, Kriya has been the one that really resonated with me.

Diving in, a key text that is commonly studied in Kriya Yoga is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This collection of work offers a guided path for the yogi to help attain Self-Realization through understanding the mind and cultivating practices to focus its power. One of the important concepts presented by Patanjali are the Eight Limbs of Yoga. They are as follows:

1. Yama (Restraint/Discipline)

2. Niyama (Observances)

3. Asana (Physical Postures)

4. Pranayama (Breathing Techniques)

5. Pratyahara (Turn Inward/Sense Withdraw)

6. Dharana (Concentration)

7. Dhyana (Meditation/Absorption)

8. Samadhi (Oneness with All Living Things)

There are five subcategories to both the Yamas and Niyamas that make up the foundation of a yogis practice and way of life. They include:

Yamas:

• Ahimsa (Non-Harming/Non-Violence)

• Satya (Truthfulness)

• Asteya (Non-Stealing)

• Brahmacharya (Moderation)

• Aparigraha (Non-Attachment)

Niyamas:

• Saucha (Cleanliness)

• Santosha (Contentment)

• Tapas (Zeal for Life/Enthusiasm)

• Swadhyaya (Self-Study)

• Ishwara Pranidhana (Surrender to a Higher Being)

Amazingly, the Eight Limbs of Yoga seem to offer a practical path for one to learn the 'Disciples of the Personality' that Ra discusses in (74.11) as (know yourself, accept yourself, become the Creator). Through living and analyzing life in accordance with the first two limbs in particular, proves to be a great way to better know and accept yourself. To learn the Yamas and Niyamas, it is necessary to contemplate each of the subcategory qualities to review and see how they have, or can be, better implemented into your life. Through this process, you can learn about yourself and better understand what difficulties you have to work through. I have found success in selecting one or two of these qualities and focusing on them for a week or two in order to get the most benefit from the self-analysis. Then by practicing and understanding each successive limb, one can advance this knowledge of themselves, increase will-power, and begin to receive first-hand knowledge of the nature of Oneness.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga can be summarized by understanding that each work to prepare the mind/body/spirit complex for the subsequent limb. With limbs 1-4 providing the preparatory work for one to turn inward (Pratyahara) during the 5th; where one withdrawals their attention from the external senses, allowing inward focus to be achieved. Which then paves the way for concentration (Dharna) on the desired area of focus that is no longer distracted by the outward sensory perceptions. Leading to true meditation (Dhyana) with the level of focus necessary to facilitate Self-Realization or the ability to enter the state of Samadhi where the yogi unifies with Oneness/Creator.

There is much more to explore in this comparison between the Eight Limbs of Yoga and the Disciplines of the Personality if one wanted some homework!

Through the Eight Limbs of Yoga, one can learn the 'Disciplines of the Personality' while simultaneously strengthening their will-power in the way that Ra highlights in (52.7) "Acceptance of self, forgiveness of self, and the direction of the will; this is the path towards the disciplined personality. Your faculty of will is that which is powerful within you as co-Creator. You cannot ascribe to this faculty too much importance. Thus it must be carefully used and directed in service to others for those upon the positively oriented path." We can see that one must have a strong mental, physical, and emotional foundation to fall back on in order to properly use the power of the will in a way that can be of benefit, without depolarizing oneself. Thankfully, Kriya Yoga has the potential to create this foundation through disciplined practice and study of the lineages texts.

While still building off the Eight Limbs of Yoga, another crucial skill that Ra highlights in the Law of One is the ability to retain silence and singleness of thought. This is seen in (50.8) with Ra's description of the adept's ability to do work in consciousness to aid the planetary harvest by stating "…The means of this working lie within. The key is first, silence, and secondly, singleness of thought. Thusly a visualization which can be held steady to the inward eye for several of your minutes, as you measure time, will signal the adept’s increase in singleness of thought. This singleness of thought then can be used by the positive adept to work in group ritual visualizations for the raising of positive energy, by negative adepts for the increase in personal power." (As a side note, I believe Ra's definition of the "adept" can correlate to the term "yogi" because both must demonstrate discipline and dedicated practice in order to earn these titles.)

Retaining silence and one-pointed focus is a particularly hard skill to develop these days with the myriad of distractions we have at our fingertips. Accordingly, to have a method to achieve these desirable qualities is helpful. You may have guessed by now, that practicing Kriya Yoga can be this method for learning to maintain silence and single-pointed thought! This is developed by the yogi in their daily practice through focusing complete attention on one exercise at a time, mentally and physically following the energy in the body. Then, once the particular exercise is completed, the next critical step is to sit in silence. This creates a condition that allows the practitioner to enter into a superconscious state or to at least enjoy the tranquility created by the practice. Through the lens of the Law of One, I believe this important step of sitting in silence relates with two particular passages from Ra that indicate the ability to maintain silence is a "prerequisite of mental work" (5.2) and serves as a way for information to "sink down into the roots of the tree of mind" (10.14).

With this understanding from Ra, we can derive the importance that these skills hold in relation to one's meditation practice and their ability to grow spiritually. Ra often uses the analogy of the mind complex as a tree, with the upper portion of the tree representing the personal conscious mind, the tree trunk as one's intuition, and the tree roots below the surface representing the deepening levels of the unconscious mind that ultimately create the connection to intelligent infinity or the cosmic mind. There are apparently lots of tree analogies in spiritual philosophy!

One of the primary elements of a Kriya Yoga practice is the breathing techniques (Pranayama) that are used to work with and raise the kundalini energy ("The metaphor of the coiled serpent being called upwards") (49.6). Ra describes this as the upward spiraling light (prana, universal energy, energy of life) that enters our energetic bodily system through the south pole or red ray energy center located at the base of the spine. This energy will continue to proceed up through the subsequent energy centers, as far as it can proceed before getting blocked. Then the downward spiraling energy (inner nature, inner light, our true nature) enters from the north pole of the body. This energy constitutes the Creator within and is available for all to realize and use. Where the upward spiraling light meets the downward spiraling light within the body indicates the entities level of ray activity as it relates to the seven energy centers. When attempting to raise ones kundalini, we are attempting "to move the meeting place of inner and outer natures further and further along or upward along the energy centers…" as stated in (49.6).

Ra stresses that great care should be taken by one attempting to raise their kundalini energy, in that the energy centers should be properly cleared and balanced in sequential order as one is working to raise this energy. This can take shape in seeing and accepting one's experiences through the lens of the associated energy centers and its qualities. If one attempts to raise the energetic meeting point without doing the prerequisite balancing work, they run the risk of creating an energy imbalance that can impact the entities health. This is also seen in (49.5) when Ra indicates "…To attempt to raise the locus of this meeting without realizing the metaphysical principles of magnetism upon which this depends is to invite great imbalance." I would recommend reading (49.5) and (49.6) if you are looking for a more in-depth discussion on how Ra describes the process for raising one's kundalini energy safely.

By reviewing the methods to safely raise kundalini energy, it becomes apparent that the prerequisite work necessary is the same work already highlighted from the Eight Limbs of Yoga, the ability to retain silence/one-pointed focus, and energy balancing. With the aforementioned disclaimers in place, I feel that the Kriya practice of pranayama can also be a safe route to raising the kundalini energy if performed properly and with care. I have found the pranayama practice to be a satisfying endeavor that allows you to comfortably interact with your bodily energy. Note, this usually takes time and dedication as part of the requirements to raise this energy safely and effectively but can be a truly rewarding.

The Kriya Yoga practices are believed to be upgrading the bodies nervous system, allowing for more energy to build up and flow through us as the energy is gradually raised to the higher energy centers. When this energy locus is raised, it allows the yogi to perform various metaphysical workings and healings as the energy enters the indigo ray. Then culminating in the state of Samadhi, where I believe the entity is contacting intelligent energy, or intelligent infinity, depending on the level of Samadhi achieved by the entity.

The final comparison we will look at for now is the constant attempt for one to see the Creator or Divine Presence in "everything", since "everything" is the One Creator. This concept is seen as one of great importance in Kriya Yoga, to hold the Creator in ones thoughts as often as possible. This also helps develop a connection for one to speak/listen to the Creator. Developed through one's dedication and consistent intent to illicit this communication regularly. Ra also discusses the importance of seeing the Creator in everyone and everything (i.e. 10.14) but also goes a step further and offers and explanation for how this communication takes place through the 'shuttle' from the conscious to unconscious mind or vice versa in the mind complex via the "roots of the tree of mind" (i.e. 6.1, 23.7, 36.10, 67.28). So the more we polarize down the path of service to others, seeing all as the Creator and sharing love in every moment, the more these channels become available and open to receive this contact from the cosmic mind, the mind of the Creator.

To build on the importance of the unconscious mind and the process being discussed, I'd like to offer one more quote for contemplation on this topic from (99.8) with the following response "…Many use the trunk and roots of mind as if that portion of mind were a badly used, prostituted entity. Then this entity gains from this great storehouse that which is rough, prostituted, and without great virtue. Those who turn to the deep mind, seeing it in the guise of the maiden, go forth to court it. The courtship has nothing of plunder in its semblance and may be protracted, yet the treasure gained by such careful courtship is great. The right-hand and left-hand transformations of the mind may be seen to differ by the attitude of the conscious mind towards its own resources as well as the resources of other-selves."

To conclude this article, I hope you enjoyed connecting some of the dots between Kriya Yoga and the Law of One with me. We have seen how some of the core Kriya Yoga concepts compare with Ra's teachings on the disciplines of the personality, maintaining silence and one-pointed focus, activating kundalini energies, and the constant seeking of the Creator in every moment. I know there are still many more comparisons that can be drawn between these two studies and hope to continue to delve into them at a later date. Nonetheless, if you have uncovered any other corollaries, I'd love to hear about them if you would like to leave them in the comments below!

For now, we will end on one final quote from (17.2). Here, Ra stresses the importance of each entity needing to do their own spiritual work. I feel this is important to remember when doing any spiritual practice and to help realize that we experience our own unique spiritual paths on the journey back to the Creator. "…We cannot offer shortcuts to enlightenment. Enlightenment is of the moment, is an opening to intelligent infinity. It can only be accomplished by the self, for the self. Another self cannot teach/learn enlightenment, but only teach/learn information, inspiration, or a sharing of love, of mystery, of the unknown that makes the other-self reach out and begin the seeking process that ends in a moment, but who can know when an entity will open the gate to the present?"

With Love & Light,

Nathan