Kriya Questions and Answers

With Paramahamsa Hariharananda

Swamiji, what is a swami?

"Swami" means one who has dedicated his whole life to God, who has left mundane matters behind, and who has no ambition in the material world. He has no sex-desire, no anger, no passion. A swami will be a person of these qualities.

Many teachers say they are enlightened or realized. How can we distinguish who is truly the realized guru?

In Matthew 7:15, Jesus said: "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. The tree that cannot give forth good fruits should be cut down and burned in the fire." This means that you should avoid those who have no divine fruits. The real spiritual teacher, the spiritual master, will give you evidence of his divine power, just as Jesus and his apostles did. Jesus said: "You will know them by their fruits." Divine power is the real fruit. If you come to the touch of the true guru, then you can quickly come to know whether he is advanced or not. The true guru is a person who will immediately infuse divine power into the disciple, not tomorrow, not after one month, but at the time of initiation. That person is the real guru.

Swamiji, if I was born Christian or Jewish, do I have to give up my religion to practice Kriya Yoga?

No! You have the wrong impression. Religion means dharma. Dharma means the power which upholds your body. What is upholding your body? Your breath only. But who is pulling the breath? The power of God is pulling the breath. It is why you are alive. And this is dharma. If you watch your breath and feel that He is pulling the breath, if you perceive this, then it is dharma. This is religion. In the Bhagavad Gita, it is said that it is better to remain in one's own religion than to follow the religion of another, which is dreadful to you. Kriya Yoga is non-sectarian and for the people of all religions. There is no question of any cult, creed, sect, color, or country. The answer is to practice Kriya Yoga for 15 to 20 minutes and you will get divine sensation in the whole body which will lead to God-realization.

So, I can worship Jesus as I am meditating?

Yes. You can worship Jesus. You can worship Moses. You can worship Daniel. No matter. You should have extreme love for them all as one should love his own wife or her own husband, or their boyfriend, or their girlfriend extremely, because they too are the living power of God. Jesus manifested, he is the living power of God. He ascended. Moses was highly realized. He left everything and he went to the desert and meditated very deeply. He became a topmost spiritual person. In Judaism, there are so many forms and formalities, and his people worship just like the Indian people. They are observing silence, they are fasting, they are chanting and singing, and doing so many other things. So you should think of him. Christians keep an image of Jesus in their home, but they should also see that Jesus, who is the living power of God, is activating their whole system.

Swamiji, can one become realized in this birth?

Every person is the living power of God. But it is covered by delusion, illusion, and error. If you practice Kriya ten minutes by bowing in the bed when you arise in the morning, then the whole day you will feel that the living power of God is activating your whole body. He is pulling your breath. He is doing your work throughout the whole day, and as He is doing the work you should perceive that the work is being done by Him. This is kri and ya. Whatever activity you are doing, that is kri. A dead man cannot do anything. The living power of God within you is doing the work, that is ya. If at every moment you feel you are not the doer, that only God is the doer, then you will get constant liberation and God-realization. Then you will avoid trouble and have all-around success.