Lessons from Shivabalayogi’s Example and Guidance
Shivabalayogi sitting between two disciples after he consecrated the Brahma Vishnu Maheshwara temple at the Bangalore ashram, August 7, 1987
Telling the Truth
“Swamiji did not care about anybody, only the truth.”
Recognizing Mahatmas (Great Souls)
Get to Know Them
Yogis with Ego
Not Everyone Who Completes Tapas Is without Ego
Spiritual Leaders’ Powers
Not All that Glitters Is Gold
Old & New Devotees
Making Way for the New
Silent Teaching
Swamiji Discouraged Using Words to Teach Meditation or Describe
Spiritual Experiences
Swamiji Doesn’t Forget
Remembering His Devotees
A Yogi’s Dramas
The Shiva in Shivabalayogi
At least in the United States, Shivabalayogi spent a lot of time and spoke many words trying to get people to understand what it means to be a yogi and, by comparison, a spiritual leader.
It’s not just that yogis have attained God realization through meditation in samadhi, and what spiritual leaders know they get from reading books. It’s not quite so simple.
Not all yogis are without ego and many spiritual leaders have profound insights, experiences and powers which they generously share.
There are many spiritual teachers in the modern world. We can study many spiritual traditions that historically were kept secret. We are learning how the mind and body work together. We have ancient and modern rituals and therapies that we can practice. And we are learning to respect that different people are drawn to different practices, beliefs and teachers.
The truly great masters teach in silence, through their presence and their example. Although they reflect the circumstances in which they were born, they are beyond any particular path or belief. They serve to empower the student to recognize the Teacher within.
By his conduct, Shivabalayogi gave many examples of what it means to serve people selflessly. By his expressions of anger, he warned us about mixing politics with spirituality.