Shivayoga - A Technique of Opening the Third Eye


That God cannot be known by the formal mind or the physical senses is
the verdict of the mystics of all times and climes. What they mean is
this that Deity per se is Unknown and Unknowable. But they assure us
that the Highest Godhead, though unknown and unknowable to the formal
mind, yet is accessible to and attainable by the deeper or intuitive
mind. The formal mind knows God in his manifested aspect. The
unmanifested aspect of Reality is termed Shiva, while its manifested
aspect goes by the name of Linga in Shaivism. And the composite aspect
of Reality is called Shiva-linga denoting thereby that it is at once
finite and infinite. It is clear from this that infinite and finite are
one and inseparable. Linga is the medium of finitude which the Infinite
Being or Shiva sets before him for the purpose of self expression. It is
the medium which represents his self-imposed limitation - the Law of
space and time, of form and movement. Hence Linga is the concrete
Reality of which Shiva is the abstract. The whole Sadhana consists of
how the mystic reacts to these two order of Reality and realizes them in
his being without sacrificing one for the sake of the other. The Sadhana
or process of attaining at-one-ment with Shiva, the Supreme Reality, is
termed Shiva-yoga in Veerashaiva.


In the Shiva-yoga Pradeepika it is defined that Shiva-yoga consists of
five aspects, namely Shiva-jnyana, Shiva-bhakti, Shiva-dhyana,
Shiva-vrita and Shiva-puja. The last is the essential portion of the
daily religious life of a Lingayat and forms the first and foremost
characterisitc of Shiva-yoga, nay, it is the synonym for Shiva-yoga.
Thus Shiva-yoga practically comes to means Shiva-puja or
Ishta-lingarchana, which is to be daily performed once, twice or thrice.


The whole process of Shivayoga is directed to the awakening of the
dormant pineal gland. It is a rudimentary organ in most people, but it
is evolving, though slowly, not retrograding. It is possible to quicken
its evolution into a condition in which it can perform its proper
function of apprehending events comprehensively and not piece-meal. It
is the organ for cosmic consciousness as much as the eye is an organ of
vision, or ear of hearing. For the full development of this organ helps
the Yogi to transcend mathematical time, which is only an illusion
produced by the succession of states of consciousness as one travels
through eternal duration. In Yoga Shastra this pineal gland is sometimes
spoken as third eye, and the function of this third eye takes place
externally through the middle of the forehead which is marked by the
Hindus with a Tilak or spot therein. Hence in the symbolic
representation of Shiva, we see in the middle of the forehead, an
opening with red flames issuing theref rom. This third eye or the pineal
gland is atrophied simply because, the tendency of man has become
downward and it has got immersed in sexual pleasures. This eye and the
kamic organ are said to be like the two pans of a balance, one of which
has to kick the beam when the other grows heavy. Only when we outgrow
Kama, lust and libido and make it as light as possible that this third
eye will reopen, that this pineal gland will flower out into brilliance.


To recapitulate, the mode of worship is to meditate on Linga, placed in
the left palm of the hand, so raised as to come in a line with the
centre of the eye-brows. With half closed eyes one should fix his
attention upon Linga, the coating of which is shining black serving to
widen and deepen concentration. The concentrated gaze generates psychic
heat or Tapas which stirs into activity the pineal gland that produces
psychic light or Tejas. This Tejas in turn leads to the release of Ojas,
or the Thought Force, which is at once a power of vision and execution.
Shiva-yoga therefore lands one into a region of effective Will and
intuitive knowledge, where to Will is to create and to think is to see.

This is the secret and significance of Shiva-yoga

Resources on internet -

http://www.shivayoga.net/literature/shivayoga/shivayoga-technique-of-opening-third-eye.htm http://www.shivayoga.net/literature/shivayoga/historical-aspects-of-shivayoga.htm http://www.shivayoga.net/literature/shivayoga/shivayoga-and-pineal-gland.htm http://www.shivayoga.net/literature/shivayoga/significance-of-shivayoga.htm

http://www.shivayoga.net/literature/shivayoga/how-to-practise-shivayoga.htm