Coffeehouse Culture; Plain Text; Page Fourteen; Article One

THE LIGHT OF THE Vedic civilisation continues to shine in India today. The sacred knowledge and practices contained and explained in the Vedas remain the heart and soul of contemporary Hinduism, as they have been for more than 4000 years. More than that, however, the Vedic knowledge of individual evolution leading to Enlightenment has created a living tradition of Great Masters, Saints, Sages and Seers who are venerated for their highly developed levels of consciousness. Functioning on the basis of supreme consciousness, at one with the Cosmos, reflecting the Holy Light of the Absolute for all on earth to see, radiating the bliss of life removed from the suffering and trials of the material world, such individuals are the most highly prized in Indian society.
The Spiritual Masters of India reach their exulted state through many years of austere practices and arduous disciplines. Living far from the material world, deep within the forests and in caves high in the hills, they are the Yogis seeking ‘union’ with the great pool of uncommitted consciousness that underwrites every aspect of the Cosmos. Applying techniques that are designed to develop consciousness in a dramatic and dynamic fashion, such ascetics are said to be -- and are often still seen to be -- endowed with ‘magical’ powers. Tales of levitation, control of the body’s systems that defies medical knowledge, wide-ranging psychic powers and much more are commonplace in India.
Even today, Enlightened Masters (and some who are not Enlightened) provide the structure for India’s continuing spiritual life. The ashrams in which aspirants can gather around a Master, to serve him and, in return, receive his knowledge and eventually initiation into sacred rites and practices, are the focal point of Indian spiritual life. Having achieved Enlightenment, a state of bliss outside the Laws of Nature, through their solitary practices, the Masters of India abandon their isolated lifestyle (often somewhat reluctantly) and return to the world to impart their knowledge to others.

	COFFEEHOUSE CULTURE -- Issue 1
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	PAGE FOURTEEN; ARTICLE ONE; SIDEBOX LIVING TRADITION
	THE LIGHT OF THE Vedic civilisation continues to shine in India today. The sacred knowledge and practices contained and explained in the Vedas remain the heart and soul of contemporary Hinduism, as they have been for more than 4000 years. More than that, however, the Vedic knowledge of individual evolution leading to Enlightenment has created a living tradition of Great Masters, Saints, Sages and Seers who are venerated for their highly developed levels of consciousness. Functioning on the basis of supreme consciousness, at one with the Cosmos, reflecting the Holy Light of the Absolute for all on earth to see, radiating the bliss of life removed from the suffering and trials of the material world, such individuals are the most highly prized in Indian society. The Spiritual Masters of India reach their exulted state through many years of austere practices and arduous disciplines. Living far from the material world, deep within the forests and in caves high in the hills, they are the Yogis seeking ‘union’ with the great pool of uncommitted consciousness that underwrites every aspect of the Cosmos. Applying techniques that are designed to develop consciousness in a dramatic and dynamic fashion, such ascetics are said to be -- and are often still seen to be -- endowed with ‘magical’ powers. Tales of levitation, control of the body’s systems that defies medical knowledge, wide-ranging psychic powers and much more are commonplace in India. Even today, Enlightened Masters (and some who are not Enlightened) provide the structure for India’s continuing spiritual life. The ashrams in which aspirants can gather around a Master, to serve him and, in return, receive his knowledge and eventually initiation into sacred rites and practices, are the focal point of Indian spiritual life. Having achieved Enlightenment, a state of bliss outside the Laws of Nature, through their solitary practices, the Masters of India abandon their isolated lifestyle (often somewhat reluctantly) and return to the world to impart their knowledge to others.

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