An Introduction to the Month of May

May 1, 2021

Dear reader,

We’ve arrived in May—Baba’s month, the month when Baba Muktananda took birth on this planet. Baba’s solar birthday is on May 16, and this year, his lunar birthday is May 26. On the Siddha Yoga path, Baba’s Birthday is a time to celebrate the transformative power of his grace and teachings on this world, and to reflect on the profound joy and love that so many thousands of seekers felt in Baba’s presence. It came through his voice; the freedom of his movements; his spontaneous, full-hearted laughter; the way he would give his teachings, weaving songs and stories into them that perfectly encapsulated the points; and the way that being with Baba made us feel that we’d found our way home.

Baba Muktananda brought shaktipat diksha, the awakening of the dormant spiritual energy, Kundalini Shakti, to the world at large, where previously it was a closely guarded secret known to only a few yogis. He imparted the Siddha Yoga teachings and led what he called a “Meditation Revolution,” therein providing the means for seekers to recognize the presence of God within their own being and all of creation.

In preparation for Baba’s month, I’ve been reflecting on what I learned from Baba—through the books he’s written, his teachings, and the times I was in his presence and received his darshan. One memory that often comes to mind is of sitting silently with Baba and other Siddha Yoga students in the courtyard of Gurudev Siddha Peeth. There, in the beautiful winter morning light, under the dappled shade of the mango trees, I felt a powerful love and benevolent strength radiating from Baba. I envisioned it as a grace-filled radiance with rays entering each of our hearts. Even now, recalling that moment, I feel the luminosity of Baba’s love shining within me.

Baba changed the direction of my life. In 1976 I received shaktipat initiation from Baba and learned from him how to practice Siddha Yoga meditation. At the time, I was a neuroscientist teaching at the university level, and I thought science had all the answers to understanding the universe. But after receiving shaktipat from Baba and beginning to practice meditation, I realized there was much more for me to learn. I made the intention to approach meditation as a scientist, exploring in my own inner laboratory—watching my thoughts as I meditated and asking myself how meditation changed my awareness.

When I first began to meditate, what I noticed initially was a stream of thoughts. As I focused on my breath, the thoughts began to subside, and to my delight, I discovered that, just beneath the thoughts, there was pure blissful silence. I had learned from Baba that supreme Consciousness is the foundation and the essence of everything that exists, including our mind. As I continued to meditate, I began to recognize that this pure Consciousness is what I was tapping into as my mind came to rest in those still moments of meditation.

In the last several decades, as I deepened my meditation practice under Gurumayi’s guidance, I became inspired to explore the beneficial effects of meditation through the lens of neuroscience. I found that meditation literally changes the structure of our brains. I also found compelling evidence that consciousness—which many of us think of as awareness—continues to exist even when the body has stopped functioning.

I have received great joy in sharing this information in the course of my work and Siddha Yoga study, especially with people who have experienced infinite and eternal Consciousness through their own “inner research”—their Siddha Yoga meditation practice—and who are interested in seeing how such information is supported by the strict methodology of scientific research.

These are some of the ways that my life has blossomed since I received shaktipat from Baba Muktananda in 1976, and as I’ve continued to practice Siddha Yoga meditation with Baba’s and Gurumayi’s teachings as my guide.

This month, in honor of Baba’s Birthday, the Siddha Yoga path website will feature stories about Baba, teachings from Baba, photographs of him, hymns invoking his grace, and more. The Siddha Yoga Audio Satsang in Celebration of Baba Muktananda’s Birthday will also be available for you to participate in throughout this entire month.

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In addition to Baba’s Birthday, there are several holidays and events that take place during the month of May, and which we celebrate on the Siddha Yoga path.

Mother’s Day: May 9

Mother’s Day is celebrated in fifty countries throughout the world—twenty-five of them, including the United States, observe the holiday on the second Sunday in May. On Mother’s Day we offer gratitude to our mothers, who brought us into the world and whose love nurtured us as we grew up. We also honor all those who have protected and sustained us in our lives.

The Siddha Yoga Gurus have always accorded great respect to mothers. Baba dedicated his spiritual autobiography, Play of Consciousness, to his mother and to all the mothers who had cared for him in his life. Year after year, in countless talks and poems, Gurumayi has extolled the virtues of mothers. Both Gurumayi and Baba have taught generations of seekers about the divine Mother, Kundalini Shakti, who brings forth the universe from her own being and whose life-transforming energy is awakened within us by the Guru through the bestowal of shaktipat.

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Akshaya Tritiya: May 14

Akshaya Tritiya is acknowledged on the Hindu calendar as one of the three and a half most auspicious days of the year. On this day, people begin new projects, perform acts of charity, and engage in spiritual practices such as puja, mantra japa, and dakshina. On the Siddha Yoga path website, you can read about the history and significance of Akshaya Tritiya and a related story, “Lord Krishna’s Everlasting Grace,” from the Mahabharata.

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Adi Shankaracharya Jayanti: May 16 (May 17 in India)

Adi Shankaracharya was born in the eighth century in Kerala, South India. He was an enlightened spiritual Master who established throughout India the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. Many of the Siddha Yoga teachings are based in this philosophy, which recognizes the unity of God and the individual soul. Shankaracharya also founded four monasteries and created ten monastic orders, including the Sarasvati order to which Gurumayi and Baba belong. In honor of the jayanti, birthday, of Adi Shankaracharya, you may wish to read, listen to, and learn to sing some of Adi Shankaracharya’s hymns on the Siddha Yoga path website.

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As I finish this letter, the pandemic is continuing to rage in numerous parts of the world, including India, where fear and distress are very much present in the daily lives of many. At this time, there is no way to know how long these challenges will last or when people’s lives will finally become more stable. In light of this, what can we do? How can we help? In this month when we honor Baba Muktananda and remember his legacy, one thing we can all do is redouble our efforts in Siddha Yoga sadhana, and offer the fruits of our spiritual practices toward the alleviation of suffering and the upliftment of this planet.

Sincerely,

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Achala Woollacott

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    The author’s description of her scientific research and meditation experiences filled with Shri Guru`s grace strengthened my view that consciousness is not the by-product of matter or of a complex arrangement of neural networks, but an independent power. As a physicist, I sometimes try to analyze my meditation experiences in terms of science. However, sometimes when I sit for meditation and invoke Shri Guru`s grace, I find myself enveloped by a great power. The experience starts on its own and ends on its own. I feel I am guided by an invisible great power, which I think is Shri Guru`s grace. After I come out of meditation, it seems I am a new person, and during the whole day I find myself filled with great enthusiasm, bubbling with joy and happy interactions with others.

    Though I have not met Baba physically, I have experienced the grace of Baba and Bade Baba in the presence of Shri Gurumayi. I experience the presence of Shri Guru in my worldly affairs as well as during my inner journey towards the Self.

    Udaipur, India

    What a beautiful letter! I really enjoyed each and every part of it. Even though I was born at a time after Baba took mahasamadhi and have never had his physical darshan, I can feel Baba’s presence just by reading this letter. The experience is divine!
     
    As explained in the letter, in India there is an atmosphere of much fear and grief. In response, I have joined a group of fellow Siddha Yogis in my country who are collectively offering their prayers and practices to the world for peace. We do this by scheduling some of our spiritual practices at a fixed time and then performing them simultaneously at our respective homes. It is such a wonderful way to contribute to the upliftment of all.
     
    I wish everyone a very happy Baba’s month!
     

    Gandhinagar, India

    I welcome wholeheartedly the invitation coming from this beautiful letter to offer the fruits of my sadhana to alleviate the great suffering that the people of India are going through in these devastating times.
     
    I pray that they may feel God’s  presence in their hearts and have the awareness that they are not alone. May everyone have the strength to bear whatever they have to undergo, knowing that God’s grace is with them every second of their life.
     

    Milan, Italy

    Many ideas caused me to pause and pay attention in this beautiful letter: that meditation changes our physical brains, that deep peace exists just below our thoughts, and that this state of consciousness exists beyond death.
     
    I especially appreciated the reminder that offering the fruits of my sadhana, infused by the Guru’s grace, can and does help alleviate suffering in the world—for we truly are all connected and every blessing counts.

    Connecticut, United States

    Inspired by “An Introduction to the Month of May,” I too have been remembering all that I have learned from Baba, and how he changed my life. Baba taught me the beauty and significance of welcome! He helped me learn to see and appreciate whatever and whoever comes into my life—including aspects and situations I do not like—with an open mind and heart. Taking Baba’s simple and essential teachings about welcoming to heart, and supported by his grace, I have gradually been able to shift my attitude, to expand in love, and to feel that I am worthy of his many blessings. 
     

    Oslo, Norway

    As I too reflect on this month of Baba’s Birthday, I am reminded of my own birthday or, rather, “re-birthday”—the day I received shaktipat initiation from Baba.
     
    Naturally, I also remember with tremendous gratitude the first time I met Baba. I had been searching for Truth, but now, just by being in Baba’s immediate presence, I knew I had come to be in the midst of that Truth. As I review my own memories of being with Baba, I recall the divine presence that radiated out from him, which uplifted me and all those who met him.
     
    Over the years, through my continued practice of meditation under the guidance of Gurumayi, I have come to understand more and more the experience of So’ham, “I am That,” and its transformative power to change the way I experience myself, my mind, and the world around me.
     
    Happy, happy birthday, dear Baba!
     

    New Jersey, United States

    This letter was a welcome reminder that May—as Baba’s month—is the perfect time to celebrate how Baba and his teachings have transformed my life. I received shaktipat from Baba during his third world tour. I’ve experienced amazing insights and changes to my everyday life ever since.
     
    At that time, I was teaching in a school whose students were performing below the average educational standards. One way I felt my shaktipat experience unfold was in giving me insights into how to teach them more effectively. I also saw positive changes in my personal life. I listened more attentively to my own children, family, and friends, and began to have a new relationship with nature—taking profound enjoyment in even its smallest gifts, like a spray of dandelions or a sparrow chirping.
     
    It’s now been more than forty years since I received shaktipat from Baba. The same grace and power that transformed my being all those years ago have continued to enhance my life today, filling me with deep gratitude.

    New York, United States