Let us examine the concept termed Consciousness Expansion, which aspirants come across during their Sankalpa or Sadhana in esoteric and metaphysical studies. What is Consciousness Expansion? The writer did grapple for a while with this concept and the idea of Yogi Nidra. During that period, the writer would daily listen to discourses on You-Tube presented by Swami Rama of Himalayas. Lo and behold, on an eventful afternoon during siesta in Spain, the writer found himself on the terrace with Swami Rama. The writer narrates in the ‘Yoga of Death, Book 1’ as follows. On a fateful and gracious Thursday afternoon on the 25th of September, 2014, as usual, I rest in bed, as it is termed Yogi Nidra. In Gujarati, a Thursday is called Guruwar (Day of Guru). Suddenly, I become aware in lucidity Swami Rama as a Siddha sitting beside diagonally to my left and facing me with me on a terrace chair. I say to him, ‘there is a deep dent in his nostril.’ Then, I ask him, ‘what is Consciousness Expansion’? He asks me to breathe as he places his hand and fingers on my face and gently squeezes below the chicks; I am made to look like a pufferfish breathing (or a mouth like that of a crow’s beak, which I discover much later). I immediately feel my head (skull) literally expanding and contracting three times full of air as if my head is inflating and deflating like a balloon; like a plastic ball on the beach been inflated and deflated. I want to ask him about the unconscious mind, but I did not remember at the time to do so. I feel a warm hand resting on my RHS side temple and I think it is that of my partner, but no, intuitively it was that of the Swami as the dream left me. Then I tried to continue breathing like a pufferfish, but I had awoken. As I recollect my lucid dream, that face is so familiar that I have been in his company and know him from somewhere, like a guru of a guru. He had a moustache, Indian and youthful. This is so real, vivid and profound. Insight tells me it was Swami Rama.Let us continue. Our mind “expands” in space to allow mystical experiences beyond the realm of waking and physicality, dream and dream body, but within the remit of the mind and intellect. Like transcending solidity into liquidity and further into gasity or airity. Makes the writer chuckle. There is no mystery attached to Consciousness Expansion, just that the esoteric sastras and spiritualists make it sound all mysterious because we seldom encounter it unless there is deep aspiration or devotion. We merely know the three states waking, dream and sleep, but there are “other or altered or hybrid states” within the three. It does not necessarily mean the “awakened mind,” though it is within the realm of the “mental eye.” Categorised as the realm of Mysticism; a kind of half-way house between matter and spirit for the one who is a spiritual aspirant or devotee. Since our true nature is Consciousness, and there is nothing besides Consciousness, which we ourself pollute by thoughts, for what is there to expand or contract? Yes, it is said when our focus is on an object, Consciousness contracts, otherwise it is the way it is naturally and all expansive. Our gross peripheral vision is less than 180 degrees and within the visible spectrum. Our gross hearing is within certain limits too. And so are our other gross senses. However, there are subtler expansive senses within that are even broader in spectrum so to speak. But attentive mind training and deep Sankalpa (inner spiritual aspirations) can highlight sensations beyond the norm—these come under the remit of Siddhis or Supernatural powers. They are not to be shunned as merely hindrances but enjoined as aids to our expansive understanding of our deeper and truer nature. It is here we can potentially receive diksha, guidance and inspiration, but also malefic influence. It is the realm of the Spirit, benevolent and malevolent, be warned. Often Master offer guidance via this channel, which is well documented, like in the case of Ganapati Muni and Sri Bhagavan Ramana. Sri Bhagavan recalls lucidly approaching Ganapati Muni and confirmed with Ganapati Muni who recalls receiving such “diksha” in a Ganapati Temple in the realm of Yogi Nidra. A more detailed account will be found in the Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda when he encounters his Master Sri Yukteshwar in Mumbai—He is offered secretive guidance, which is kept from the audience. In the case of Paul Brunton, Sri Ramana would appear remotely and guide Paul whilst He was in the UK. None of them deliberately sought such. Our natural state is expansive Consciousness like space, which beholds the whole panorama of the sky. Look up on a clear night at the sky and you will see how massive your own Consciousness displays the panorama. How massive and wide is our own mind to reflect in Space such huge panorama. Look at your own dreams and you will see how expansive the panorama can unfold. So, what is Consciousness Expansion but the realm of the Seer? Tell me please. Ah, but we are not happy with this, we want to see and behold the whole cosmos. We want to stand at the edge of the Universe. Look. What is here is there, what is there is here. You want to be the Cosmo-scope, right? What for? Does your enlightenment mean this? Tell me, where is the edge so you can see the whole? We are within the reflective mind’s (seers) boundaries. Ah, you want to connect to other beings in the cosmos and interact with them. You can’t even interact with monkeys and slugs here, let alone beings and gods from other planets. Do not make it a goal. Our goal is to transcend the gross plane, the subtle, the causal, the three states of consciousnesses, the Seer (mysticism) and all other states such as Nidra. Consciousness Expansion is automatic without the need to seek, viz, it will seek the aspirant—in the plane of mind (seer). In fact, it is not “Consciousness Expansion” but “Mental Expansion.” Transcending means getting rid of thoughts. It does not mean literally being a siddha flying off to Jupiter to meet Brhaspati. All this supernatural stuff (realm of the mind and dream) is almost automatic when you are at peace, when you are in your natural state–it should not take you away from abiding in the Self. Abiding in the Self is the sommum bonum, is the sanctuary, the shrine, the mantapa. Yes, there are Sages who accomplish all sorts of feats, like Vasishtha, who flew in some distant sky to see Brahma, his father, only to be told off. So is their Karma. Mental Expansion is broadening your awareness within the mental plain but not the goal, let it happen naturally should we seek guidance or answers to perplexing questions of esoteric nature. You are That. How wide do you want to be? Get rid of the seer! Then you will realize your true Self, true Consciousness. Altering your perception with narcotics will expand your Consciousness? Are you stupid? Expands you psyche not Consciousness. The Seer is still there. Find out who the Seer is traced to it’s source, this source is the true Consciousness Expansion, the Self! Consciousness is the prop of the Seer, the Witness. Consciousness is infinite and the basis of all this play. This is Seeing God As He Really Is.
DIPPACK MISTRI 