TABLE OF CONTENTS Editor s Introduction to Question and Answers with Swami i-ii Chapter One On the Kundalini Shakti Kundalini and its role in spiritual evolution [Talk given at Babaji s Parliament of World Religions and Yoga, December 19, 1992] 1-6 Kundalini Shakti: its role in meditation and in life 6-8 Types of breathing meditations 8-10 Chapter Two More on Raja Yoga Foundations of concentration 11-13 Stages of concentration 13-15 Integration centers 15-17 The seven higher octaves of consciousness 17-18 Chapter Three Guru Kripa Yoga On the purpose of life 19-20 The seven purposes of man 21 On Divine Will 22-23 On Alaya 23 Nesting of the Primal Rays 24-25 What is Initiation? 25-27 Criteria for bestowing Initiation 27-28
QUESTION AND ANSWERS WITH SWAMI Chapter Four Jnana Yoga On intuition 29-31 Trans-mental experience 31-32 Effect of Ray type on perception 32-34 On the qualities of the Soul 35-38 Love, wisdom, power, and life: the Soul s quaternity of expression 38-41 Understanding the four principles: More on Correspondences 34-37 A study of the four principles 41-45 Understanding the Four Quadrants 45-48 Chapter Five Dharma Values and Dharma 49-50 Confrontation with Dharma 51-54 The mandala of relationship 54-59 Levels of functioning in Dharma Yoga 59-60 Chapter Six - Kriya Yoga and transformational methods Speeding up spiritual evolution 61-62 A treatise on spiritual mathematics: concerning transformational methods 63-67 On Kriya Yoga as a transformational method in the Cosmic Sphere 68-69 The Revelation of Swami Kriya 70 A comparison of Kriya Yoga and Lhama Yoga in the First Planetary Initiation 61-72
TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Seven Caring for the spiritual heart On withdrawal (Pratyahara) 73-74 Spiritual devotion 74-76 Chapter Eight Discipleship and Mastery Stages of human and transpersonal growth: development and mastery 77-83 Ways people awaken 83-84 Adept, Initiate, and unawakened man 84-86 On the stages of discipleship 87-91 Discipleship in the Mudrashram tradition 91-93 On becoming a Master 93 Multiplane Mastery: how it works 94-95 The Higher Work: the seven Masteries 95-97 Empowerment, Grace, and Service 98 Chapter Nine The Mudrashram Tradition Ascending models of consciousness: discovering the Mudrashram realizations 99-103 Levels of participation in meditation 104-106 The seven paths of the Yoga of the Seven Mudras 106-108 The Mudrashram symbol explained 109-110 Techniques of Integral meditation 110-112 The lineage 112-114
QUESTION AND ANSWERS WITH SWAMI Chapter Ten Attunement and Spiritual Ministry Seven aspects of spiritual ministry 115-116 Seven actions of prayer 117-118 The actuality of Grace 118-121 Other varieties of attunement 121-122 Chapter Eleven Lifestyle, Religion, and Spirituality Renunciation in meditation and yogic lifestyle 123-124 Seclusion in spiritual life 125-126 The path of relationship versus renunciation 126-129 On tolerance 129-130 Understanding the statements of Jesus and other Western Adepts 130-132 The three translating agents 133 The Continuum: A unity in diversity 134-135 Religion, karma, and true spirituality 136-138 On sacred rituals 138-139 On irrationality in religion 140-141 Real Rapture versus fantasy Rapture 141-144 The Gifts of the Spirit revisited 145-149 Levels of prayer and meditation 150-151 The Prophet 152-154 Excommunication 154-155 The inner and outer way 155-157 Examination of factors in a hypothetical spiritual lifestyle 157-158
TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Twelve the Human Experience The spectrum of feeling good 159-161 The seven fulfillments 161-162 On dreams 162-163 On investments 164-169 The greatest of treasures 169-170 Destructive identification 170-172 On carnal will 172-175 Demons 175-178 Pain, suffering, and Eternal life 178-180 Overcoming the fear of death 180-183 On death and dying 184-185 The seven matrices of life and consciousness 186 Chapter Thirteen Karma and Destiny The paths of destiny 187-190 Karma in manifestation 190 Lifting karma 191-192 Glossary A Glossary for the study of Initiate s Library volumes 193-206
QUESTION AND ANSWERS WITH SWAMI Dedications This volume is dedicated to those sincere Mudrashram students who wish to sit at the feet of Swami Charan Das Paramahansa, and hear his inspired discourses on a variety of topics that have relevance for the aspirant and the disciple. Acknowledgements We wish to thank Andrew N. Greb, Renate Bell, and Patrice Marquez for their assistance in typesetting the original manuscript, and its revised copy. We wish to thank our early students from 1983 to 1993 for many of their questions, which I then posed to Swami for his elucidation.