Educated but not Enlightened
In the search for happiness,
direct experience surpasses knowledge from external sources
by Leonard and Jenness Perlmutter
There's lots of pressure placed on both children and parents these days. Ask any exhausted
parent. Kids now have schedules as dizzying as any corporate CEO's. Why? Because the
culture is constantly warning that unless a child is well-rounded and accepted by a
prestigious college, chances for success will be significantly diminished.
Without question, a solid college education or vocational training is a vital element in
earning a livelihood. But the desire for our children's success is so intense today, that
we often forget to provide them a framework so they can seek and gain the kind of
knowledge that will bring them lasting happiness and contentment.you find yourself, the
skills you learn in meditation can help you think the most beneficial thought, speak the
most beneficial word and act in the most beneficial manner.
Without question, a solid college education or vocational training is essential to earning
a livelihood. However, our desire for our children's success has become so intense and
shortsighted that we often forget they also need a philosophical framework for
experiencing lasting happiness and contentment.
Knowledge can be gained from either external sources or from direct experience. The
knowledge gained from external sources--by attending schools, colleges and
universities--is important but incomplete. Although a college degree can provide valued
and rewarding skills, it does not enhance our human capacity to make prudent,
discriminating choices. On the other hand, intuitive wisdom gained through direct
experience is self-evident and fulfilling, and an asset in every area of life.
The development of self-discipline, one-pointed attention and coordination of the mind are
essential for a truly successful life. An undisciplined and unfocused mind that remains
enslaved to unexamined fears, smoldering resentments and self-willed desires
creates obstacles to happiness. A disciplined and focused mind, however, is an instrument
that can access unerring wisdom from the center of consciousness and employ it to fashion
actions that will always lead us for our highest and greatest good.
Most of our actions are based on information gathered from the external world. Mother is
our first teacher, followed by our father, siblings, other relatives, teachers, friends,
the media and authors. Yet no matter how learned we may become, knowledge from
external sources still merely represents the ideas, suggestions and limitations of others.
It is shocking to realize that most of the knowledge we claim is not really our own. We've
merely assimilated the goals, fashions and values of our society. In some ways this can
serve us well, but it also leaves us ignorant of our own innate wisdom and chronically
dependent on the advice and suggestions of others. If, however, we learn to experiment
with the information acquired from outside through the science of yoga, we can gain direct
experience and move closer to the happiness we all seek.
No matter how impressive it may appear, if knowledge gained from the external world
doesn't help ameliorate our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dis-ease, it has
little real value. In many cases, the more information we gain (like the deluge of
information on the internet), the more burdened our lives become. By gaining increased
access to information we may become better educated-- but not enlightened nor free.
In ancient times wise people exhibited a great will force to know the Truth directly. They
were not satisfied by the mere opinions of others, nor swayed by the tide of culture.
Through their spiritual practice they learned that Truth directly realized through the
buddhi (conscience) needs no external source of verification.
With the advent of computers and the internet, human beings today can easily learn what to
do and what not to do, but it has become increasingly difficult to learn how to be. Real
knowledge is not found in intellectual knowing. It is found in being. The spiritual
practice of yoga science leads to direct experience of intuitive wisdom, creativity and
the end of sorrow. The outside world and institutions of higher learning can definitely
stimulate your mind and teach you the skills needed to make a respectable living, but real
peace and wisdom come from within. When you learn to calm, focus and discipline your mind
through a regular, systematic practice of meditation, the wisdom you really need will come
forward without effort.
In service - with Love
Leonard and Jenness Perlmutter
P.S. We wish you happy,
healthy and rewarding holidays. May your practice of yoga science be your constant, loving
companion.
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Forward from
The Heart and Science of Yoga™
 |
By
Linda Johnsen
Linda
resides in Sonoma, California
and is the author of:
A Thousand
Suns
Hinduism for
Idiots
Meditation Is Boring?
The Living Goddess |
It wasn't what I'd expected. I'd spoken at many yoga centers before; they were often large, empty rooms where
students could unroll their hatha mats and launch into a series of stretches and twists imported from India. When I'd show up to lecture, folding chairs would materialize from hidden closets and an audience would listlessly filter in from the dirty city streets.
The American Meditation Institute, it turned out, was more like a beautiful estate than a yoga business. The grounds were magnificent, colored with an astonishing array of flowers and flowering shrubs. A sparkling pond brimming with minnows and a small, man-made waterfall interrupted the rolling green lawn. This oasis twenty minutes outside Albany, New York was a paradise of tranquility and fragrant blossoms.
The AMI building was friendly and clean, scented with the inviting aroma of vegetarian cooking and filled with co-founder Jenness Cortez Perlmutter's paintings of country landscapes, scenes from Indian mythology and especially--everywhere--horses. Jenness herself was tall and lean, exuding both warmth and intelligence. Her husband and fellow AMI founder Leonard Perlmutter had a thick beard that made him look like an Indian baba who'd just come down out of the Himalayas after years of meditation. He appeared very serious but the moment he began to speak, not only his vast knowledge of the world's mystical traditions but also his totally disarming sense of humor were immediately evident.
I didn't for a moment feel I was visiting a yoga "institute." Len and Jen made all of us at the seminar feel like family. Their emphasis on yoga as a preeminently practical form of spiritual discipline kept their teaching very real, grounded and relevant to their students' everyday lives.
The Perlmutters are students of Swami Rama of the Himalayas, the yogi who revolutionized our understanding of human physiology back in the 1970s. Before Swami Rama allowed researchers at the Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas to hook him up to their EEGs, EKGs and temperature monitors, Western scientists had never believed India's yogis could do what the Indians always claimed they could, controlling every component of their physical bodies to the extent that they could appear virtually lifeless according to the electronic printouts, yet remain fully conscious. The swami repeatedly demonstrated full mastery of his autonomic nervous system, which until then most Western doctors had assumed was impossible.
I studied with Swami Rama for some years when he
founded a graduate program in Eastern Studies here in the United States in the 1980s. Swamiji complained that the experiments the researchers conducted at Menninger were comparatively trivial. The real value of yoga lay not so much in stopping one's heartbeat or regulating the temperature in individual cells in his body (skills he actually demonstrated there) but in its deep and transforming effect on human consciousness. That, unfortunately, the scientists didn't know how to measure.
Swami Rama left his body permanently in November, 1996. He died like a yogi, having announced the exact moment of his departure earlier that day. He sat up in a yoga posture and, in full consciousness, vacated the body we'd come to love so well. He taught us how to live and, in his final moments, showed us how to die.
Swami Rama's work lives on through the efforts of his students. Swamiji strongly encouraged the Perlmutters to teach. His blessings have transformed their originally modest home into one of the finest yoga centers in North America. The Heart and Science of Yoga™ is the story of yoga as they live it, in the vibrant tradition of Swami Rama of the Himalayas.
Linda Johnsen
Sonoma, California
Linda is the author of A Thousand Suns, Hinduism for Idiots,
Meditation Is Boring? and The Living Goddess
Click
here to read what others are saying about The Heart and Science of Yoga™!
A special limited edition of the soon-to-be-released
book by teacher and author Leonard Perlmutter:
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The Heart and Science of Yoga™:
A Blueprint for Peace,
Happiness and Freedom from Fear. Is
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The Heart
and Science of Yoga
Q
& A
|
QUESTION: Can you explain what happens when you
meditate? Is it difficult or dangerous in any way?
LEONARD: The origin of the word meditation is similar
to that of the word medical. It means to heal by seeing--by consciously directing one's
attention. In seated meditation, you dispassionately observe your innermost thoughts,
desires and emotions in a calm and concentrated manner. There is nothing dangerous nor
difficult associated with this inner attention. During the practice of meditation, you ask
your mind to let go of its many attachments, distractions and the passing thoughts and
associations of your normal waking experience. You do this not by attempting to stop or
repress your thoughts, but by encouraging the mind to focus continuously on one subtle
element or object in the present moment. This internal focus of attention helps rest the
mind by allowing it to cease its habitual and often stressful mental processes.
QUESTION: I am currently rehabilitating after quadruple bypass heart surgery. Can
meditation help the healing process?
LEONARD: For anyone recovering from surgery (or an emotional trauma), meditation is
profoundly therapeutic. Meditation helps relax muscle tension and facilitates freedom from
mental stress. Individuals who meditate attain a tranquility of mind that enhances
functioning of the immune system by limiting the mind's reaction to worry and anxiety.
After just a few days of sincere efforts, the novice meditator begins to establish new,
healthy habit patterns. The profoundly useful skills learned in meditation increase
individual will power and can help you make constructive choices in life. Sound decisions
concerning a beneficial diet, daily exercise, diaphragmatic breathing and lifestyle
selection all become possible when the mind is no longer controlled by habit.
QUESTION: I have taken several hatha yoga classes to relieve stress. It's been very
helpful, but I have the feeling that I'm still missing something. Any suggestions?
LEONARD: Sigmund Freud admitted that the ideal of psychoanalysis is to bring an
individual from painful neurosis to "ordinary unhappiness." In order to end
stress and dis-ease we must begin the earnest exploration of the vast frontier that lies
beyond the limitations of the ordinary mind. To find true joy and contentment, we must
acknowledge and serve the wisdom of our spiritual center by stewarding the power of our
thoughts, desires and emotions. Meditation and the many other practices of yoga science
(including hatha) represent a road map for this inward journey.
It is a complete program of holistic practices and time-honored techniques to improve
physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. The only two requirements for
benefiting from its use are your own determination and earnestness.
INSPIRATION
FROM THE SAGES
It is your body, your mind and
your thoughts.
They should listen to you. When you become lazy and negligent, they begin to boss you.
Remember, you are the master of yourself. Your body, mind, thoughts and everything else
around you are gifts of nature. By using these gifts you can accomplish your highest
purpose--to recognize that the infinite library of knowledge lies within you. And when you
start studying the book of life, you start gaining that knowledge which dispels the
darkness of ignorance and fear.
Swami Rama of the Himalayas
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INTRODUCTORY LECTURE - MEDITATION & YOGA
SCIENCE $15
November 15 & December 13: AMI Home Center, 60 Garner Road, Averill Park
Monday Night: 7:00 - 8:00 PM
Tell
a Friend about AMI
If you know someone who might benefit from our American Meditation class, let them know
about the AMI program or call us with their name and address and we'll send them a
brochure with our current class schedule.
Karma Yoga --- the practice of selfless and skillful action
If, as part of your practice, you have a few extra hours during the week
and are interested in helping grow the American Meditation Institute, we need your
dedicated, volunteer energy. As a student of yoga science, you are already familiar with
the kinds of practical services the Institute provides. Each month we write, edit and
publish this newsletter, teach an average of thirty new meditation students and present
stress-reduction seminars to various businesses and organizations. We also invite visiting
speakers of interest to our area, organize seminars on yoga science and do continuing
personal counseling.
Our immediate needs include press relations, seminar management,
clerical assistance and general delivery work. Remember, whatever time or talents you
possess will be put to meaningful, productive use.
If you have the time, please call the Institute at (518) 674-8714.
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Newsweek Touts "New" Old Science
my life to be used to the purpose that
is my soul's calling. How will You use me? How can I be used? Use me. Use my talents. Use my wit. Use my skill. Use my heart. How can I be used to serve the greater calling that is my life? That is the question. I surrender to that. I am so grateful for the possibilities of my life. I open my heart to You."
lymphatic vessels and storage sacs crisscross the entire body, in parallel with the blood supply, carrying a fluid composed of infection-fighting white blood cells and the waste products of cellular activity. Daily yoga, like AMI's Easy-Gentle Yoga, activates the flow of lymph through the body, speeds up the filtering process and promotes efficient drainage of the lymph.
recommending meditation for people with high blood pressure. Studies have indicated that meditation can help women who suffer from menopausal hot flashes, PMS, and even infertility. Meditation helps you enter a relaxation state that can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, slow down your breathing and relax your muscles. Some experts have compared meditation to a "reset button" for your body and mind.