The 3 Gurus in Melbourne Australia 2004

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Balance, Acceptance, Bliss: The 3 Gurus in Melbourne

November 2004

Together for the first time, Swami Shankarananda, Master Charles and Swami Chetanananda presented programmes filled with wisdom, love and light.

By Nancy Jackson

Swami Chetanananda talks often about ‘unimaginable possibility’, and the coming together of three Western spiritual masters was a possibility—and a reality—that I, personally, could not have imagined.

Swami Shankarananda, Master Charles Cannon and Swami Chetanananda each are highly regarded Gurus of the ancient yogic philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism. Their tradition has been variously called Siddha Yoga, Maha Yoga, Maha Kundalini Yoga, Shiva Yoga, or what Swami Shankarananda calls the Shaktipat Tradition. All of them have created ashrams, written books, developed programmes, guided individuals and been cutting-edge leaders at a time and in a culture that is far more focused on the outer world than the state of the inner Self. They have spent their lives bringing the spiritual experience to disciples, devotees, associates and seekers.

For an extraordinary two weeks, these three Gurus presented programmes to overflowing crowds, members of the general public who wanted to deepen their spiritual experience, find insights and techniques, and share stories with others. Six satsangs, or spiritual gatherings, were held at the Shiva Ashram in Mt Eliza and an introductory night and two-day intensive workshop were held in Melbourne.

Swami Shankarananda, Australia’s resident spiritual master, invited his two colleagues from America to share the podium in presenting the teachings, which, in essence say the same thing: meditation on the inner Self has the power to transform us entirely.

The tradition of Kashmir Shaivism is also known as the Trika or esoteric Shaivism. Its basic tenet is that everything is Consciousness, Source, or God. Nothing in the universe is not this Consciousness. And, this same Consciousness is within each person. We as individuals have the ‘unimaginable possibility’ of becoming fully aware of, and live in, this state of inner Consciousness.

As radiant examples of Shaivism the three Gurus each have done just this. Through intense spiritual practices and guidance by their Gurus, they made this emergence their personal priorities. They are—as we say—steeped in Shakti, the luminous, scintillating, pulsing energy of Consciousness Itself. This state is known as Self-realisation, which Master Charles describes as constant in the experience of ‘wholeness’, and Swami Chetanananda says, ‘Every moment of every day, we experience our existence as permeated by the love of God’. Swami Shankarananda defines it as ‘being permanently established in the state of connection with the inner Self’.

The Gurus also have dedicated their lives to guiding others in spiritual work. By this, they honour their teachers and their lineage. Swami Shankarananda and Master Charles both are disciples of Swami Muktananda, and Swami Chetanananda is a disciple of Swami Rudrananda. Both Muktananda and Rudrananda were disciples of the enigmatic Bhagawan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri.

So often new spiritual seekers wonder if intense spiritual work and ‘surrender’ lead to losing your personality or if merging with Consciousness leads to withdrawal and blandness. One experience with these three teachers and we all got a full dose of radiant beingness and the essence of each of them. Swami Shankarananda often says that the goal of sadhana—or spiritual practice—is ‘to become the best you that you can be’.

Their three personalities, in fact, allowed the audience to imbibe the many values of spiritual work. Swami Chetanananda, with charming forthright honesty, talked about his work in Nepal and India, where he investigated and took part in traditional rituals at the cremation grounds. Although he joked, he was seriously intent when he talked about death as the only certainty in life and the importance to live as a fully integrated person.

Master Charles, too, spoke about this integration, which he calls ‘balance’. As he described the typical human state as ‘fragmented’, that is, not always in harmony, but disparate, he offered the higher alternative of ‘wholeness’, which is accessible to every individual. A lively personality who enjoys playing the crowd, his message is nonetheless serious: to draw away from the negative state, which he calls the default, and move towards the positive, living at a more elevated frequency. His high-tech Synchronicity Experience has reached thousands of individuals who otherwise might not have access to the unlimited potential within.

Likewise, Swami Shankarananda encourages people to turn within. His personable and witty approach looks for similarities in the human experience. Then he offers groundbreaking techniques of Self-inquiry to investigate the innumerable thoughts that arise. The thoughts that are intensely negative, that tear into us, he coined, tearing thoughts. He says, ‘Inquire and discover they have no value, and turn your mind to uplifting thoughts’. These he calls G-Statements, meaning God statements or Great statements, such as ‘Right now, as I am, I am perfect’.

The highlight of the series of programmes was the Intensive weekend, where each of the three Gurus gave Shaktipat initiation. According to yogic tradition, a seeker would have to serve the teacher for many years to prove he or she was sincere. But as they say, the kali yuga, or dark age, is fully upon us, and we in the West want instant liberation.

So those of us who found ourselves in Glen Eira Town Hall on the weekend of November 20-21, were given spiritual gifts from all three of these great masters. During the two-day event, all three of them walked through the audience and one by one gave the touch to awaken or deepen each person’s spiritual experience. The energy in the hall was filled with the fire of yoga and the intoxication of deep meditation.

Their brilliant question-and-answer sessions entertained us, and we got to know them more as the charming, clever and incisively intelligent individuals they have become. Yet continually they reminded us to not only enjoy the pleasures of life but also apply ourselves diligently to the work at hand, and to make the higher choice at every moment. And in that, we, too, can bring home the value of spiritual inquiry and practice, which they describe as balance, acceptance and bliss.

A DVD of the Question and Answer Session from 17 November, 2004 in Mt Eliza is now available from www.shivayoga.org.

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