Durga Mata

[Jitendra Hydonus]

For what reason I know not why but I was fortunate to be invited in the physical presence of Durga Ma quite a few times in her bedroom at Mt. Washington with other devotees, where we meditated with her several times. I learned some important spiritual lessons being in her presence. That’s my experience, with her, which I was asked to relate about and I will put a couple of those experiences here on this thread.

http://yoganandadurga.com/

[mccoy]

I read her book:  A PY trilogy of divine love. She's undoubtedly one of the spiritual giants the presence of Yogananda attracted to America.

I've been particularly interested in the part with James Lynn, when she describes his fastidiously precise vegetarian regimen and healthy habits. But then, for unknown reasons, JL got a brain cancer. And Durga Mata, astoundingly, remarked to him that his meticulous habits had not been useful to avoid that illness. She must have been on the same level as James Lynn, or nearly so.

Of course, probably Lynn's sickness was of a particular karmic nature and evidently was needed to hurl him into the state of Siddha, a totally liberated soul.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

The group of us walked up the staircase at Mount Washington  Mother Center and she was waiting to let us in because we had been called to come and see her. Durga Mata had surprisingly light conversations. She often talked about what anyone had an interest in the time.

I remember one thing in particular though. She had two little dogs in her room. They were a little restless and we would always have at least a short meditation with her. This time the dogs were moving about and Durga Mata made an explanation that rather surprised me.

She told us; that if we give an animal like her dogs enough love, they would become human next incarnation.

[weboflife]

The group of us walked up the staircase at Mount Washington  Mother Center and she was waiting to let us in because we had been called to come and see her. Durga Mata had surprisingly light conversations. She often talked about what anyone had an interest in the time.

I remember one thing in particular though. She had two little dogs in her room. They were a little restless and we would always have at least a short meditation with her. This time the dogs were moving about and Durga Mata made an explanation that rather surprised me.

She told us; that if we give an animal like her dogs enough love, they would become human next incarnation.

Wonderful to hear Durga's explanation on giving animals enough love. I have a 12 year old Great Dane cross that I love dearly and who helped save my life. She has such a strong command of the spoken word that I often wonder if she has been human before? She doesn't come into my meditation room often but when my wife's away she will come and lay on the woolen blanket I have reserved for Maha Mudra. If I'm doing techniques she will sometimes be too restless to hang around long. But I've noticed if I'm in stillness period she will settle quickly and go off to sleep. If she hasn't been human before I do think she is very close and she has had so much love since we got her as a rescue that going by Durga's wisdom she will be human very soon.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

These encounters happened in the early 1970’s so it is difficult to have a clear remembrance of the details. However I do remember looking forward to meditating with Durga Mata and sitting with her in the vibrations of Mother Center where Master stayed  and lived for years and with a small group of devotees.

If you have ever had an experience of sitting to meditate and you get a cramp in your leg that is because of sitting in lotus or half  lotus position, you will understand what I felt once we were meditating together that day, I was quite young at the time. I was aware of the importance of being still and did not want to move and disrupt others because we had a achieved such a silent moment together. I remember clearly praying that I would some how be relieved of the pain in my legs and suddenly the pain went away.

I was very grateful and will never forget that episode. I did attribute the relief from being in the company of others meditating and perhaps her presence. I do not ever recall being able to rid myself of such a cramp again and the need to move if such a thing happened. For better or worse, I have become less rigid in maintaining a certain posture in meditation and instead opt for a comfortable posture, while still attempting to keep my spine straight. I believe because of a past life in India I have never really gotten used to meditation in a chair as is the custom at SRF temples. I now will adjust myself if necessary, to be able to meditate 🧘‍♂️ comfortably, but it can be very disruptive if you find yourself with others who have achieved a transcendent state of silence that is sometimes the result of group meditation.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

People have very different capabilities and hearing about Durga Mata and her contributions and direction in making the Hollywood Temple designed and look the way it does inside….and then going to the San Diego temple and do the same is an example of how she used her talents to serve Master. Many times we do not know the importance of people by just meeting them. We often gain an understanding after knowing them better as human beings and what they have done, in helping others.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

I read her book:  A PY trilogy of divine love. She's undoubtedly one of the spiritual giants the presence of Yogananda attracted to America.

I've been particularly interested in the part with James Lynn, when she describes his fastidiously precise vegetarian regimen and healthy habits. But then, for unknown reasons, JL got a brain cancer. And Durga Mata, astoundingly, remarked to him that his meticulous habits had not been useful to avoid that illness. She must have been on the same level as James Lynn, or nearly so.

Of course, probably Lynn's sickness was of a particular karmic nature and evidently was needed to hurl him into the state of Siddha, a totally liberated soul.

It’s also true that my meticulous habits about staying away from even the foul smell of cooked dead animals did not help me in me avoid getting melanoma stage 4 with a prognosis of of life for only a couple more years. But there are certainly other factors than even karma that play into such conditions. Although I heard that James Lynn spent long hours in the sun meditating I have no idea why cancer was the cause of his transition. But I do know that exposing myself to the constant light of the sun was the cause of my brain cancer. I suppose all our bodies need some excuse to leave the shores of this life. Doctors claimed that Yogananda ‘died’ of a massive heart attack. It makes me laugh a bit. Because he told his closest devotees he would be leaving before it happened and gave a talk before he slumped over, into Maha Samadhi.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=maha+samadhi&&view=detail&mid=CC13DC8DDD1782BC43C1CC13DC8DDD1782BC43C1&&FORM=VDRVRV

[mccoy]

Cancer is a sneaky sickness, a manifestation of the evil intelligence driving human cells from harmonious contribution to systemic health into a chaotic malignancy whose only purpose is proliferation and eventual destruction of the whole body.

It's not easy to avoid cancer and it's not just a matter of avoiding eating meat. There are so many potential causes, some of'em random events from natural sources like sunlight, as you say.

Some people are also born with a predisposition to develop cancer, like the infamous mutations in the BRCA1 gene.

We may even reason that, had James Lynn not followed his particularly meticulous lifestyle, he would have died much sooner.

Of course, only the most enlightened masters know the truth about his death.

It is possible to prevent cancer to some extent, but not easy and not with a clearly defined strategy, as with cardiovascular events.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Cancer is a sneaky sickness, a manifestation of the evil intelligence driving human cells from harmonious contribution to systemic health into a chaotic malignancy whose only purpose is proliferation and eventual destruction of the whole body.

It's not easy to avoid cancer and it's not just a matter of avoiding eating meat. There are so many potential causes, some of'em random events from natural sources like sunlight, as you say.

Some people are also born with a predisposition to develop cancer, like the infamous mutations in the BRCA1 gene.

We may even reason that, had James Lynn not followed his particularly meticulous lifestyle, he would have died much sooner.

Of course, only the most enlightened masters know the truth about his death.

It is possible to prevent cancer to some extent, but not easy and not with a clearly defined strategy, as with cardiovascular events.

I hope it is not a ‘cop out’ mccoy but we all have to leave this place at one time or another, unless ofcourse we are a Babaji, does it really matter too much on the way we exit? Many saintly people had a much more gruesome death ( consider the disciples of Jesus who all except for Judas and John were crucified )  but I suppose all of us would rather die peacefully. I had cancer in the brain myself and did not die from it, but I find no peace in any kind of thought that I possibly was anything close to the life and spiritual stature of Saint Lynn. Although I do think that the presence of saints and Masters in my life at the time kept me here longer. The Cancer had spread through my lymph glands and therefore the doctors at the time saw little hope of recovery.

On another note; Since I spent some personal time with Durga Ma I also wonder if there were any other things you read in that book that interested you and you care to share?

[weboflife]

The Divine Trilogy was a fascinating read. Durga Mata was emphatic in her dedication to serve Master. When I read that Sri Gyanamata was even compelled to complain after watching Durga Mata in intensive labour and service to Rajasi I was amazed. Her service was just at an extraordinary level far beyond what most can offer. She was meticulous too, thinking of the doctors comment on how thorough she was at attending to Rajasi's body when he was very ill. He offered her nursing work if she was so inclined if I remember right? Rajasi never had an issue with bed sores because of Durga's unfaltering attention to detail.

You really were blessed to be in her company Steve.

As for cancer for us mere mortals stress has been shown to induce cancer. In the case of James Lynn I wonder if Satan's powers should be considered? He would have been most displeased by James Lynn's spiritual rise and financial help to Master.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Weboflife and Mccoy,

It is interesting to me that both you guys read her biography and I was with her but never knew anything about her biography.

I am beginning to see a pattern here. Let me explain something that I’ve noticed through my life and perhaps both of you have also. There are a couple elements here. One is the element of genetic predisposition. Both my parents passed away because of cancer, when they were in their 60’s I am now older than that. So I want to first make this observation. What mccoy said about the possibility of a karmic event in regards to Rajasi may be true. He may have not been self-realized before coming into this life, and chose a certain family that may have had a predisposition to that karmic liability as it seems I have. Although, I also concur with Weboflife that stress is a direct cause of Cancer and my life had been a constant exposure to environmental stress factors for most my working days. I would think Rajasi’s body would have also been exposed to many stress factors towards the end of his life running a world wide organization plus all his business responsibilities as well. And all this was heaped on him as Paramahansaji passed on. I have found that meditation relieves stress but if we expose our bodies to constant stress what of then? If you apply small doses of arsenic to your daily diet, as small as they may be eventually it would work against the immune system. Although a human being has a spirit that transcends the physical, still while living in this physical realm we seem to be somewhat limited by various physical conditions that are part of the duality that is a fundamental attribute of living in this physical realm.

Why exactly I was spared dying of cancer I do not know. I do attribute it to being in the presence of a Master at the time. But of course it is still possible I could contract it again since it is a predisposition for me genetically. This is one reason I have been keeping out of the rays of the sun 🌞 during its extreme intensity and even its mild intensity. Friends have told me they thought i survived because of the yoga practice I’ve done all my life.

Anyhow, i’d like to point out that a master comes into the flesh and takes on some of the liabilities of that descent. Thus we had Paramahansa Yogananda in a wheel chair the last days of his life. Though perhaps you remember he passed away as he was STANDING at a podium and speaking his beloved prayer about India. It has been said like Jesus, Paramahansa Yogananda and other Masters worked off some of the karma of their devotees through their body. Thus I happened to talk to one of Amma’s closest nuns and found out that Amma is also in quite a lot of pain even though she has given darshan to over 40 million people by hugging them and continues to do so today. I recall her rubbing parts of my body with her hands when I had cancer.

Let us also remember that Durga Ma took care of Rajasi out of an act of love so it appears. And apparently she made the comment that all his meticulous health habits didn’t save him from that situation. Well the fact that I spent some personal time with Durga Ma and did not know these things brings up an interesting point. It seems that also all my meticulous eating habits did not save me from cancer either. Yet for now I’ve been given a new lease on life and this body I inhabit. I believe that for some reason I was meant to meet her and spend time with her and then now to hear this story about her life. I’m attempting to put it all together.

It reminds me somewhat of a boss I had who was very kind to me. She died after having lupus . She used to tell me about my work habits indirectly without criticizing me. One day I told her that I remember her saying something about that (my work habits) before. And she made this comment back: “ Well if one angle doesn’t work there are other ways to approach the matter. I just keep trying. “ The gurus are like this in our lives. If one way doesn’t work they continue to work on us in other ways. It is indeed a blessing to be in their care. A close friend for decades has told me it is a miracle that you are still alive today after all the near death experiences I’ve had in this one incarnation.

As for cancer for us mere mortals stress has been shown to induce cancer. In the case of James Lynn I wonder if Satan's powers should be considered? He would have been most displeased by James Lynn's spiritual rise and financial help to Master.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

The Divine Trilogy was a fascinating read. Durga Mata was emphatic in her dedication to serve Master. When I read that Sri Gyanamata was even compelled to complain after watching Durga Mata in intensive labour and service to Rajasi I was amazed. Her service was just at an extraordinary level far beyond what most can offer. She was meticulous too, thinking of the doctors comment on how thorough she was at attending to Rajasi's body when he was very ill. He offered her nursing work if she was so inclined if I remember right? Rajasi never had an issue with bed sores because of Durga's unfaltering attention to detail.

You really were blessed to be in her company Steve.

As for cancer for us mere mortals stress has been shown to induce cancer. In the case of James Lynn I wonder if Satan's powers should be considered? He would have been most displeased by James Lynn's spiritual rise and financial help to Master.

It is interesting to see you attempt to understand such enigmas in life as what happened to James Lynn. What I have found is that when I have attempted to understand life’s complexity it has often taken me years or decades to unravel such mysteries.

When I look back on my life I realize that I was blessed to be in the presence of many saintly people. I also belatedly realize, I did not take full advantage of the circumstances that were my life. Although you see the results of it now on this site. The adage ‘you don’t know what you got till it’s gone’ could be coined to my life. But I am attempting to make up for it now. I have a chance to see Amma now, this week, and I will not be missing it.

Apparently I had some fortunate karma from the past, to be in the presence of saintly people. I just remember how I felt being with such people that made me feel at times lighter than air, sometimes joyous, and also permeated with loving vibrations. And also at times being the butt of jokes because of a lack of understanding. I attribute some of my most wonderful spiritual experiences to being in the very presence of such people that were spiritually elevated.  Although I shouldn’t hide the fact that I also faced discipline at times as well. I will give you an example here; I remember the head of a monastery, where i was living once say to me; ‘Steviosh, you are always chasing after dreams.’ I think people should remember that a true guru is above human morality. And therefore  can use any means necessary to remove human ego. I recall how Paramahansa Yogananda ‘made fun’ of Brother Anandamoy in front of other monks when Brother was seeking attention from the Guru.

I see myself writing to you now as an attempt to embrace all spiritual aspirants that have come in my life as well. We are fortunate to have such friends. We often do not recognize the full extent of the fortune that surrounds us in people, circumstances and environment, till they slip away through our fingers. The more I age the more I understand this simple oversight in life. Sometimes it is difficult because I get down on myself for not showing more gratitude and actively seeking out the best around me. Taking advantage of those circumstances, actively serving such people and taking their cautionary advice.
 🙏

Jitendra

[weboflife]

I'm bamboozled by most of life's mysteries, Steve. All I can truly say is that Master's teachings and those of many saints have been my closest link with truth. Meditation, pain and suffering have also been helpful teachers. And my wife. Great for bringing down the ego.

I think you are doing an amazing service with these boards and I appreciate you trying to connect with me on some level. It is too easy to take these things for granted, as you say, and as we get older the temporary nature of this world helps us to appreciate the little blessings we have right here and now.

I hope your visit with Amma helps you. I nearly went to see her years ago in Melbourne but life was too hectic and I missed the chance. Being in Australia we don't have the connection with the monastics like in India and the U.S so it can feel a bit isolating. But as meditation deepens it's hard not to feel the attunement and after all this is what Master wants from us and wanted from the devotees when he was in flesh. Attunement on the higher levels.

[Jitendra Hydonus]

I'm bamboozled by most of life's mysteries, Steve. All I can truly say is that Master's teachings and those of many saints have been my closest link with truth. Meditation, pain and suffering have also been helpful teachers. And my wife. Great for bringing down the ego.

I think you are doing an amazing service with these boards and I appreciate you trying to connect with me on some level. It is too easy to take these things for granted, as you say, and as we get older the temporary nature of this world helps us to appreciate the little blessings we have right here and now.

I hope your visit with Amma helps you. I nearly went to see her years ago in Melbourne but life was too hectic and I missed the chance. Being in Australia we don't have the connection with the monastics like in India and the U.S so it can feel a bit isolating. But as meditation deepens it's hard not to feel the attunement and after all this is what Master wants from us and wanted from the devotees when he was in flesh. Attunement on the higher levels.

It is doubtful to me, that you and mccoy can quite understand the encouragement and the support of you two to our spiritual practice. We are reminded by Sri Yukteswar in the Autbigraphy of a Yogi when he warned Paramahansa Yogananda about being selfish about bringing these teachings to the world; Our Guru did not want to come to the United States. He would have much rather have retreated in the Himalayas. Many times I am pulled back into maya by the worlds indelible magnetic fields of influence. However it comes as no surprise to me that ‘life’s mysteries’ - you speak of- that we share together have a counter pull that brings me back to my main purpose in life. I appreciate your comments, and thank you two as well for helping this service we are attempting together.