The Term "Alakshyanath Sampradaya"

I was reading through the "Amoral Way of Wizardry" the other day, enjoying as always Dadajis way of wording and explaining the Kaula Nath Path, when my eye stopped at the word "Alakshya" in the title:

ECSTASY EQUIPOSE AND ETERNITY

THE VADE MECUM AND GUIDE TO SHRI MAHENDRANATH'S FANTASTIC KOSMIC KINGDOM OF THE ALAKSHYA NATHAS OF SHAMBHALA INTERNATIONAL

I have read this title many times since I often go back to the Twilight Yoga Trilogy in order to keep the basics of the Kaula Nath Path fresh in my mind. After many years on the path I am quite familiar with the central terms in the sanskrit language but now I stopped, not being shure what the term "Alakshya" really ment.

After a quick search on the website Sanskrit Dictinary for Spoken Sanskrit I got the results: "Insignificant in appearance", "Unmarked", and "Invisible". There were other translations also but in regard to Dadajis title these struck me as the relevant ones.

In the Kaulopanishad there are some paragraphs warning us as to what to share with others about our work, saying:

One should not reveal this. One should not discuss this with pashus. Even weak argument may contain the truth. One should not make distinctions. Do not speak of the secret of self. One may speak of it to a pupil.

Within a Shakta,  outwardly a Shaiva, in the world a Vaishnava. This is the rule Liberation comes from knowledge of self.

 This I understand as to not talk about what we do to the uninitiated since there are so many elements of our practice that is difficult to understand for the uninitiated. If one is under the spell of the conditioned ideas inherited from parents, school and culture what we do may seem quite strange, and our work and symbols might frighten them. People that get frightened generally want to get rid of the element that scares them. If this goes far enough, who knows what will happen? History has too many examples of how bad this can end for people of New Think, Inovation, and Fresh Perspective.

In the last two sentences the upanishad suggests that we should act as Vaishnavas in the world. This does not mean that we should sing Hare Krishna Hare Rama, but that we should act in accordance with the general consensus concerning laws and culture in order not to get into any unnecessary trouble that would shorten our lives or block our opportunity to do our Great Work.

I have also read somewhere (not remembering where at the moment of writing) a version of this statement saying "In the world a Vaishnava, in private a Shaiva, in secret a Shakta".

Concerning to be a Shaiva in private I understand this as meaning that we may openly practice meditation, study of philosophy, religion, and so forth in our homes, and that there is no restriction concerning this.

When it comes to Shakta practice we are encouraged to keep this within and in secret and the reasons for this are given above. Being a magician means to live life consciously, making conscious decisions and conscioulsy directing our will towards our individual goals. When most people live their lives unconscious of their own potential and decisionmaking, experienceng the world as a chaotic and mean place, our natural, free and amoral way of life may com across as foreign and frightening.

In the west there has been a strong tradition to persecute innovative thinkers and people with other perspecitives than the ruling class, therefor it has become part of the western tradition to work in secret and meet in private. In the eastern traditions there has generally been more tolerance to different approaches to life and the indians often displayes outward sign in order to show their spiritual affiliations.

Still, as Mahendranath points out in his writings, and as can be understood by reading the Kaulopanishad, we see that not all approaches to enlightenment and liberation has been readily accepted, and some level of secrecy was kept in regard to Tantrik and Kaula practices.

Concerning the introduction of his own "Aeonion Transmission" Mahendranath explains in the charter where he gives the Initiation and Parampara to Lokanath, that:

"I, [Mahendranath] do hereby ordain by that Supreme Authority which rests with me, that the Adinath Sampradaya shall henceforth become an International and Cosmopolitan Order of all worthy people, students and householders above the age of 18 years, who may occopy a normal life and pursuit of livelihood; provided they accept the 3 basic aims and objects of the Nathas, to wit: Real Peace, Real Freedom, Real Happiness"

When he passed on the spiritual stream that he had been initiated into to his europeand disciples, he metamorphosed the ancient indian order of  renunciates into a western tradition of housholder yogi-magicians that "may occupy a normal life and pursuit of livelihood". He demanded no excentric lifestyle or orange dresses, no need of showing any outward signs of affiliation, only to "accept the 3 basic aims and objects of the Nathas, to wit: Real Peace, Real Freedom, Real Happiness". Thus he metamorphosed his branch of the Adinath Sampradaya into an Alakshyanath Sampradaya - a Tradition of the Invisible Lords and Ladies, keeping us safe from the self righteousness of mediocre minds and small thinking.

The Alakshyanath Sampradaya established in the west by Mahendranath has sprouted into a big family tree with many branches. As in all families there are different perspectives and standpoints, but they all share common roots. Lokanath, Vilasanath, Shambhalanat, Siddanath, Kapilnath, Adityanath, Trishulnath, Svabhavanath, Pratyakshanath and others, I love them all for their work and their expressions of The Great Work.

The Will to Love is the Law to Live!

- Svacchandanath

A glimps of the Journey from "Visarganath" to "Svacchandanath"

I was contemplating to write something about my journey from Visarganath to Svacchandanath and explain why this blog has been silent for so long.

As can be seen in my earlier entries I have used some of these years to study kundalini yoga with a western swami.

I meet this swami for the first time in 2005 at a lecture he held about "Trika Yoga". At the time I was running Moss Yoga School in my home town and was contacted by the swami wondering if I was intrested in teaching Hatha Yoga at a retreat he was going to hold. I would not get payed but get the retreat for free. I agreed.

I participated at a retreat but was not immediately impressed of his outline of Trika Yoga. Mostly he talked aout his guru, Swami Chetananda, and his guru's guru, Swami Rudrananda, or Rudi, but he himself seemed like a nice fellow.

I did not have any further contact for him for several years.

In early 2009 I was at a place where I felt exhausted by being a solitary yogi. I contemplated who I could work with and remembered the friendly swami that I shared the common interest for Trika Yoga with. I contacted him and started to study with him.

In the beginning many things started to happen with me which I felt was of great value. I hade some new and exiting experiences that inspired me to go all in with the swami and I soon became a close disciple, maybe also a friend.

The initiatory line the swami was part of goes back to Bhagavan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri, through the american maverick yogi, Swami Rudrananda, commonly known as "Rudi". Even though the line is independent of Muktananda of the Siddha Yoga group, it in many ways has let itself be influenced by it. Rudi himself only become a “swami” in order to get the necessary respect he needed in order to get the teachings he wanted. Rudi always showed great independence, free thinking and had his own peculiar ideas as to how a teacher-student relationship should be like.

Many of Rudi's students seems to have missed this and use a lot of energy becoming a “respectable lineage”. Even though Rudi broke with Muktananda his students has adopted much of Muktanandas flavour and guru worship.

Anyway, “giving it my all” I made the decition that I would play the teacher/student game he was outlining and for 3 years I put my own thinking on pause, adopting the teachings of the “lineage”. Since I was not a total neophyte I quicly became an intructor, center leader, and in january 2012, on a retreat in India, I was made an “Acharya” of the “Rudrananda Panth”.

During these 3 years (2009-2012) my attitude changed without me noticing it. It seems like the attitudes, thoughts and ideas of the swami sneaked into my mind and was adopted as my own. In time I felt great love for him, and I felt he was my closest friend, confidant, guru, and so on, so when I was initiated as an Acharya I felt that now my life's real purpose was abot to be fulfilled.

Then life came in and corrected my fantasy!

Shortly after coming back from India in 2012 I started to see things in the swami's behaviour that made me question his Level of realization and showed me that the so-called “unconditional love” that he had for me and the other students in reality was very conditioned. In the months after we became back from India I was approached by a femal student that complained to me about approaches made towards her by the swami. She was greatly distressed and I tried to mediate in situation. The response I got from the swami felt like a blow to the ribs and I certainly felt no “unconditional love” in the situation. I felt he was acting immaturily and egoistically, showing no concern for anybody else than for himself and his own needs.

The situation lasted for some months and I was in great distress, though acting outwardly that everything was “buissiness as ususal”. But the pleasant image of his persona and "wisdom" that I had projected on the swami started to crack and finally I made the decicion to leave the swami and his organisation. I felt I could not be part of his show and be a recruiter to his game so in mai 2012 I left.

In the years after I left the swami I have strugled with symptomes like those described by people that have been part of destructive cults. Even though I have never regretted my decicion to leave the swami I have emotionally struggled with it. So much of my life was had been related and connected with the swami that I felt I had to totally reorientate myself in my life.

In that reorientating process I traced my life backwards, quiestioned my history, my ideas, my practices, relationships, etc., trying to see how I could learn from my experience.

Some of the things that I learned was the value of friendship, the healing energy of nature, the impossibility of planning, the joyfulness of existing, the unimaginable possibilities of life and much more...

In that retreacing process I also made some realizations that reconnected me with my nath past, but in a new way. Through the 3 years With the swami and during the 3 years that has passed after me leaving him I have learned some valuable lessons:

I have learned that:

Never again will I ignore the silent voice of my own conscience.

Never again will I let another suggest to me how to act, feel and think.
Never again I will let an idea go unchecked by my own intelligence

And I have realized this statements to be true:

Through the Mind and Body of every Human Being
Through the Intellect, Feelings and Sense Expressions
The Creator Enjoys the World and Cosmos thus Created.

And this I know without a doubt:

I am closest to my own Self!
I am the Creator of my own existence!
I am Svacchandanath!

6 years of chaos sadhana, 3 years in, 3 years out, has brought the result of nothing!

What a blessing!

Peace, Freedom and Happiness to All!

Love from Svacchandanath!