Hinduism according to Advaita

[Spirit_Warrior]

Testimony from Hindu Gurus

One of the most enthusiastic modern gurus of astral projection was Swami Yogananda Paramhansa. He recounts in extensive detail his own experiences with astral projection and highly recommended the practice to all spiritual seekers. Some excerpts from him

The need to learn how to astrally project:

From the astral world we come at birth, and there we shall return at death. Someone asked me why we should try to connect with the astral world now. To this I reply, "Because that is where you will realize the freedom of your true nature. You were there as a soul cloaked in an astral form to start with; and because you are not there now and have lost that memory is why all your misery persists." By entering that other world, we learn the causes and healing of all suffering and diseases. We discover the secret of our existence—what happens after death, and where we were before birth, and how to live in the material world without losing our divine connection. This world has a lot of limitations and the astral world has none. When a soul leaves the expansiveness of the astral world to be born on earth, that human baby finds himself restricted and confined in the mother's womb and wants to get out of it but can't. For nine months he has to wait. Then he is subjected to the helplessness of infancy. As he grows into adolescence he must fight his way through passions and emotions, which if he doesn't control will get him into all kinds of misery. Then he marries, struggles to support a family, and perhaps is happy for a little while—but as he gets older everything starts to go wrong with his body-machine and eventually he dies. Every day this drama of mortal limitations, whatever be its minor variations, is playing itself out in your life; and still you cling to this world as most desirable. It is not. If you could perceive the astral world, you would know that it is infinitely more real than the earth-plane, which is just inert matter without the enlivening powers of the up-holding astral world. Material existence is only a shadow of that higher, finer dimension of reality. This world is the result of the astral world. The blueprints of everything in the physical universe have been astrally conceived—all the forms and forces in nature, including the complex human body, have been first produced in that realm where God's causal ideations are made visible in forms of heavenly light and vibratory energy. Then they are materialized in physical form out of the ether. But the astral body of man and the astral counterparts of everything in nature are vastly more beautiful, more vibrant, more expressive of the harmony and perfection of the Divine Creator than what we perceive when our consciousness is limited to matter.

Read more at: The Astral World (1)​

Description of the Astral worlds

"As prophets are sent on earth to help men work out their physical karma, so I have been directed by God to serve on an astral planet as a savior," Sri Yukteswar explained. "It is called Hiranyaloka or 'Illumined Astral Planet.' There I am aiding advanced beings to rid themselves of astral karma and thus attain liberation from astral rebirths. The dwellers on Hiranyaloka are highly developed spiritually; all of them had acquired, in their last earth-incarnation, the meditation-given power of consciously leaving their physical bodies at death. No one can enter Hiranyaloka unless he has passed on earth beyond the state of sabikalpa samadhi into the higher state of nirbikalpa samadhi

"Hiranyaloka inhabitants have already passed through the ordinary astral spheres, where nearly all beings from earth must go at death; there they destroyed many seeds of karma connected with their past actions in astral worlds. None but advanced devotees can perform such redemptive work effectively in the astral spheres.* [Because most persons, enjoying the beauty of the astral worlds, do not see any necessity for strenuous spiritual effort.] Then, in order to free their souls fully from all traces of astral karma, these aspirants were drawn by cosmic law to be reborn in new astral bodies on Hiranyaloka, the astral sun or heaven, where I am present to help them. There are also nearly perfect beings on Hiranyaloka who have come from the superior causal world." My mind was now in such perfect attunement with my guru's that he was conveying his word-pictures to me partly by speech and partly by thought transference. I was thus quickly receiving his idea-tabloids.

The Astral World God encased the human soul in three bodies— the idea, or causal, body; the subtle astral body, and the gross physical body "You have read in the scriptures," Master went on, "that God encased the human soul successively in three bodies— the idea, or causal, body; the subtle astral body, seat of man's mental and emotional natures; and the gross physical body. On earth a man is equipped with his physical senses. An astral being works with his consciousness and feelings and a body made of prana.

"There are many astral planets, teeming with astral beings," Master began. "The inhabitants use astral planes, or masses of light, to travel from one planet to another, faster than electricity and radioactive energies. "The astral universe, made of various subtle vibrations of light and color, is hundreds of times larger than the material cosmos. The entire physical creation hangs like a little solid basket under the huge luminous balloon of the astral sphere. Just as many physical suns and stars roam in space, so there are also countless astral solar and stellar systems. Their planets have astral suns and moons, more beautiful than the physical ones. The astral luminaries resemble the aurora borealis—the sunny astral aurora being more dazzling than the mild-rayed moon-aurora. The astral day and night are longer than those of earth. "The astral world is infinitely beautiful, clean, pure, and orderly. There are no dead planets or barren lands. The terrestrial blemishes — weeds, bacteria, insects, snakes — are absent. Unlike the variable climates and seasons of the earth, the astral planets maintain the even temperature of an eternal spring, with occasional luminous white snow and rain of many-colored lights. Astral planets abound in opal lakes and bright seas and rainbow rivers. --

Read more at: Yogananda on Astral World​

Cont.

 

[Spirit_Warrior]

Like in the classical Hindu tradition I have presented you two kinds of proofs so far testimony from all world traditions, from Hindu scriptures and gurus and Inference from Samkhya, as well as from modern physics and parapsychology. This should be enough to give you an intellectual conviction that the subtle body and worlds exist. However, the final proof is direct experience. I am not going to give you any techniques here to do it, but I will direct you to excellent resources which have helped many achieve it. You will realise it is actually not that hard to achieve.

"Why is it important" The question is almost like asking why is it important for a blind man to see or an 2D inhabitant to realise 3D. It is important because it exists, it is far more vast and greater than the 3D universe. The benefits are great:

1. You will be able either see astral energies and entities like auras and spirit forms, this helps because you will be able to see people for who they really are, you cannot be deceived or lied to, because you see lies appear in their aura or field. There will be no privacy, as all thoughts one is thinking can be seen in the astral. You will know which places, things, food have high prana and which low prana e.g. you will understand why yogis do not eat meat, garlic or onions and stay away from certain places.​

2. You will gain control of your astral body, its senses and organs, which opens up not only the astral universe to you, but also the entire physical universe. The astral senses or ESP can hear, feel, see, taste and smell beyond the 5 physical senses, to the limits of the edge of the physical universe. The astral organs can cause physical effects.​

3. You will be able to communicate with astral entities of all types for guidance and assistance. The universe is full of spiritual life forms which which we directly invoke, inquire, instruct for assistance when it is required. If one cannot find a physical guru, then one can get help from etheric gurus.​

4. You will conquer the fear of death and gain the ability to freely move in and out of the physical dimension.​

5. You will no longer live in a world of belief or concepts, you will directly experience all those truths and they will become living truths for you​

6. You will lose identification with the gross body and world, which is one of the biggest reasons why you are in bondage in samsara in the first place

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All the techniques which are used to induce astral projection share the same characteristic, they are designed to break your identification with the gross body. The following can induce them, I will share just as information.

1. Food deprivation, weakens the gross body (Not recommended)
2. Sleep deprivation, causes the mind to introvert(Not recommended)
3. Sudden trauma or shock to the gross body(Not recommended)
4. Visualisation of yourself as outside of your body
5. Affirmations, reprogramming your mind that it is not the body
6. Meditation techniques
7. Waking up in a dream or a lucid dreaming​

Astral projection which now goes by the neutral name of OOBE(Out of Body Experience) is no longer just the domain of mystics and yogis. It is studied by scientists and ordinary lay people. The best modern researchers who extensively describe their own experiences and have devised brilliant techniques to induce them who I can recommend are Robert Monroe(famous for Journeys out of the body) and Robert Bruce(famous for Astral dynamics) Most of their works are available online.

Next, the causal body.