In the teachings of Laya Yoga, there are five main directions: the teaching of wisdom (Prajna-yantra), the teaching of energy (Shakti-yantra), the teaching of dream yoga (Nidra-yantra), the teaching of light (Jyoti-yantra), and the teaching of sound (Nada-yantra).
If we mentally visualize the entire tree of teachings as a large tree, its roots are the three awarenesses, or the three freedoms (of body, speech, and mind). The three freedoms mean that we are in a natural, relaxed state that is not conditioned by anything in the body, speech, or thoughts. Being in such a state constitutes the roots of the teaching.
The tree also has a trunk, and the trunk consists of the methods of Prajna-yantra (the teaching of wisdom). That is, the essence of the teaching lies in contemplation, being aware, and abiding in a self-liberated presence. The methods of Prajna-yantra, such as the methods of the contemplation section, the divine pride section, or the Shambhavi Mudra section, are the primary methods belonging to the trunk of this tree.
There are also branch methods—special skillful methods that allow for the development and deepening of contemplation. These branch methods are Shakti-yantra (teaching of energy), Nada-yantra (teaching of sound), Nidra-yantra (teaching of dream yoga), and the teaching of light (Jyoti-yantra).
There are so-called leaf methods—additional minor methods. There is a vast number of them, like leaves on a tree. These are not the primary or root methods, but they help us develop contemplation and various aspects of practice.
And there are flower methods. They express the aspect of pure vision, the aspect of the Dharma's flowering. They are like beautiful flowers on the tree of Dharma. These include, for example, the sadhana of invoking Dattatreya or the sadhana of invoking Lakshmi.
Multidimensionality of Teaching and Hierarchy of Methods
The teaching, the practice of Dharma, is not just a single method but an entire tree. That is, the teachings represent multidimensionality, a grand system, multi-variance, and polyphony. The teaching is not just some philosophical propositions or two or three methods, but a whole large tree. And in this tree, it is very important not to get confused, understanding what constitutes its trunk, what its roots are, and what its leaves are.
If we do not understand the hierarchy of methods within this diversity, we may fail to understand which accents to place and where, or what the place of each individual method is in the teaching. But if we clearly understand that the root is abiding in the natural state, in the three freedoms (of body, speech, and thoughts), then it becomes clear to us that the essence of the teaching is indefinable—it lies in abiding in awareness.
If we understand that there is the development of contemplative practices, such as working with sankalpas, the art of Mahashanti, or the nine self-liberations, work with divine pride, and work with Shambhavi Mudra (with space), then it becomes clear to us what this tree stands on—what its trunk is. And when we apply other methods, we learn to weave them in and practice them in the context of our understanding of the entire tree of teaching.
Unity in the Diversity of Methods
The Tibetan saint Tilopa gave these instructions: "Use not one method, but many." In reality, the multitude of methods is an apparent diversity. The method is one, and we are practitioners of one method, that is, practitioners of the One. In Sanskrit, such practitioners are called Ekantins. This term refers to followers of Advaita Vedanta who meditate on the Absolute, on the single Brahman (not to be confused with monotheists, as monotheists believe in one God, while Ekantins believe in absolute monism).
Being Ekantins—adherents of the One or total unity—we have one primary method, and this primary method consists of abiding in contemplative presence (Sahaja-sthiti); therefore, our direction is also called the Sahajiya school. Abiding in the state of Sahaja is the root of the teaching.
The Path of Self-Liberation
As we abide in the natural state and learn to be aware, integrating contemplative presence with various manifestations of our life, a gradual surrender to this natural state occurs. The natural state is not connected to logic, philosophy, culture, or any religious tradition. Rather, it is the essence of our world, the essence of the universe. It is what is also called Prajnana—the primordial wisdom of awareness, Parabrahman. As we become rooted in the natural state, our mind trusts it more and more and surrenders to it more and more.
In the beginning, of course, we do not trust it very much, but we have enough awareness to subdue our thoughts and emotions. And it is said that when we subdue them correctly through the practice of awareness, they self-liberate—that is, they are freed on their own without the application of effort.
For example, if you are a good practitioner of contemplation, it is unthinkable that you would be angry at someone, that you would have a bad mood, or that some thought would strongly grip you. If you know the secret of self-liberation, it cannot last more than three to five minutes. And if a practitioner is truly established in contemplation, it all lasts a second and a half or two seconds—that is, something arose and immediately self-liberated because it encountered the mirror of the natural state.
A true practitioner who has mastered the methods of natural contemplation is always in awareness, in contemplation. For instance, right now, as I speak with you, I am in awareness, in contemplation. This means my speech is self-liberated; I am not identified with it. Against the background of my speech, the mirror of awareness is present, like space, and the speech is the play of the energy of this awareness. I do not lose myself in speech; I remember myself. How do I remember myself? As space. That is, while staying in this small hall, I simultaneously remember myself as a vast space, perhaps the size of a galaxy. Operating with logic, I simultaneously remember myself as a completely paradoxical space beyond concepts. Moreover, this space is alive; it is saturated with bhava—the experience of the divine, Divya-bhava. And every practitioner who contemplates this way eventually reaches this point. But self-liberation is still only the initial stage of practice.
Self-Transcendence and Psychological Revolution
The next stage is self-transcendence. Self-transcendence means that the Ahamkara (our private "I") begins to dissolve in this vast space. The focus of our awareness begins to shift from the private "I" to this vast space. Here, serious questions arise because the "I" (ego, personality) begins to cling, as it has unfulfilled desires, false hopes, and fears.
It approaches this vast space and feels that it must fully trust it, let go of itself, and merge with it; it feels like a drop falling into the ocean. To trust like this, one must be ready to carry out a real psychological revolution. And here a serious struggle begins, where the yogi must learn not to cling but to let go, relax, and free themselves from false hopes, false fears, attachments, and grasping.
If he manages to do this correctly, he will be able to perform the entry into "great non-doing" and truly establish himself in contemplative presence, in the natural state. And for this, strong faith and absolute trust in the supreme Source are needed. But if there is no such faith, then the psychological revolution is impossible. At this stage, the yogi says to himself: "I am not my own, I am God's. Not my will, but Thine." At this stage, his ego surrenders. He can accept everything; he can let go of everything. He lives in the world like a dry leaf carried by the wind; he holds onto nothing, he has no grasping. And when this happens, we enter the process of self-surrender.
True Self-Surrender
The process of self-surrender begins only after we master self-liberation, and not before. This means that by this time, we must truly become those who have realized self-liberation.
Ramana Maharshi was once asked something like this: "I have given everything to God, but there is no result. Why?" Ramana Maharshi said: "If you have given everything to God, why did this question arise? Since you are asking, you have not given everything as you profess. If you had given yourself to God, who would be asking the question?"
Why does a person ask this? Because the previous stage has not been passed, self-liberation has not been realized, and grasping, hopes, desires, and fears have not been eliminated. Therefore, in the beginning, in the teaching of the trunk (Prajna-yantra), we always exercise in the art of contemplation and self-liberation, and only after that do we approach the practice of self-surrender. If our spirit is tempered by service to the enlightening power, if we have already purified our mind and subdued egoism, then it is quite possible to do this correctly.
Two Schools of Self-Surrender
There are two traditional schools of self-surrender: Marjara-nyaya ("the way of the kitten") and Markata-nyaya ("the way of the baby monkey"). In the "way of the baby monkey," the baby must hold tightly to the mother, applying its own efforts as she leaps through the trees. In the "way of the kitten," the baby does not need to hold on itself, because the mother grabs it by the scruff of its neck with her teeth and carries it herself; the kitten just needs to trust the mother and not resist.
These two schools—the "kitten" school and the "monkey" school—are two approaches to the practice of letting go, relaxation, self-transcendence, and self-surrender. But these are not schools like kung fu schools. They are spiritual-psychological and philosophical schools.
The "monkey" school indicates that we must apply effort and exercise our own will on the path of self-surrender, since true surrender will not happen by itself without certain efforts on our part. The "cat" school says that no effort can lead to true surrender, that it comes as grace, and that efforts, on the contrary, only interfere, because any effort comes from the ego, and the ego is a false center formed from past impressions, separate from the Absolute; any effort applied from the ego only gets in the way, and accordingly, the sooner we eliminate it, the sooner genuine self-surrender will occur.
There is actually no contradiction between these two schools. They are subordinate to each other. First comes the "monkey" school—that is, we must apply certain efforts. And when this effort dissolves all our dualistic perceptions and graspings, the path smoothly transitions to the "cat" school, to a state of complete effortlessness, when we have mastered contemplative presence enough to eliminate the last egoistic efforts and enter into non-doing.
The Great Decision and Non-Doing
When a yogi enters non-doing, it is called making the "great decision." Making the "great decision" is a very significant milestone in a yogi's life. It is the realization of the eighth stage of the teaching of the 16 Kalas, the stage of "birth," when the yogi no longer acts as a personality. He has no goals, plans, or tasks in terms of view. He relies entirely on non-dual awareness; his ego has already dissolved to a large extent.
Of course, after this, there are other stages, such as "nurturing," "upbringing," "tempering," "playing," and "setting free." But such a radical boundary that we cross is precisely the eighth stage—entry into "great non-doing."
Unity of Prajna-yantra Sections
The Prajna-yantra teaching, which is the trunk, describes all these processes: the processes of self-liberation and self-transcendence. It teaches how to practice correctly so that we can enter these processes.
The section of Prajna-yantra concerning divine pride emphasizes pure vision and the pride of the deity (Divya-bhava). The section concerning Shambhavi Mudra emphasizes space and the contemplation of space. The section of contemplation is connected with the teaching of the 9 sankalpas and the 9 self-liberations; it teaches how to work with the mind and apply subtle methods to eliminate our mind's attachments. All these three sections only seem different. In essence, they all lead to the same thing, although they have their own characteristics and methodology.
Thus, if you have correctly understood that the trunk of the teaching is the teaching of contemplation and Prajna-yantra, then you will easily integrate any other methods into the general context of practice.
