Yoga of Mystics®
Inner School of MysticismThe Inner School of Mysticism is the beginning of the soul’s journey in mastering life.
Humans have an innate desire to seek Truth, something that is bigger than oneself—who created me, where did I come from, and why am I here?
Whether you’re religious or not, one’s curiosity of the inner world is a universal human desire. Everyone has been touched by the beauty of nature, by a kind act from a stranger, or by the pervading peace of forgiveness.
We welcome all into the Inner School of Mysticism. The only condition to enroll is if your soul is ready to embark on the spiritual path. Are you ready to discover your life’s purpose and duty?
The soul starts as a Student of life, then graduates to the Teacher to ultimately become the Master of life. To accomplish this, our curriculum is designed as follows:
Study Circle
Our 200 hour program studying yogic philosophy, science of breath/breathing techniques, and meditative arts. 3 week immersive, 3 & 6 month programs available.
Advanced Circle
1-year program learning the Principles of Life, duty to first God, then oneself, family, and ultimately to the world
Inner Circle
5-year program where the student is assigned as a pupil to a Master Teacher, learns the mystic arts
Higher Circle
10-year program when the pupil becomes a teacher and hones his practice and duties to the Universal Ideal, and strives to ultimately become the Master of Life
10 Mystic Thoughts
There is ONE GOD, the Eternal, the Only Being; none else exists save He.
There is ONE MASTER, the Guiding Spirit of all souls, who constantly leads his followers towards the light.
There is ONE HOLY BOOK, the sacred manuscript of nature, the only scripture which can enlighten the reader.
There is ONE RELIGION, the unswerving progress in the right direction towards the ideal, which fulfills the life’s purpose of every soul.
There is ONE LAW, the Law of Reciprocity, which can be observed by a selfless conscience together with a sense of awakened justice.
There is ONE BROTHERHOOD, the human brotherhood, which unites the children of earth indiscriminately in the fatherhood of God.
There is ONE MORAL Principle, the love which springs forth from self-denial, and blooms in deeds of beneficence.
There is ONE OBJECT OF PRAISE, the beauty which uplifts the heart of its worshipper through all aspects from the seen to the Unseen.
There is ONE TRUTH, the true knowledge of our being within and without, which is the essence of all wisdom.
There is ONE PATH, the annihilation of false ego in the real, which raises the mortal to immortality and in which resides all perfection.
Truth Seekers
The Inner School is for the few who seek the Truth.
The inner school is for the few who seek for truth earnestly, steadily and with patience, who are awake to the voice of truth and will have patience all along the journey. The inner school is not something man follows, a form, a dogma, or a belief. The inner school has not got a dogma, neither a belief; the work of the inner school is to tune the soul, to raise the individual from the plane where he stands, to uplift the soul. This is a school where one learns to know himself, where one comes to understand life.
It is as the picture is given in diwan in a poetry: once a lion was wandering in the woods and found among the sheep a cub of lion. He gave it a great surprise by saying to it, “Cub of lion”; but it also ran away with the sheep. The lion followed the cub and when he approached, it was much frightened. “Why?” the lion said, “You are a lion too”. “No, no”, was the answer. “I am a sheep; I am no lion, I am frightened, I tremble”. But the lion said: “I will not let you go among the sheep, you are a lion”. The cub was very much frightened but followed the lion. They came near a pool of water; the sun was clear, the water still. The lion said: “While you drink this water, see your reflection and look at me”. And it saw for itself: “I am the same as this lion. Why do I run among the sheep? Let the sheep go and I’ll do the works of lion”.
That is the work of the inner school. Initiation which Murshid [teacher] gives to the mureed [pupil] is as the call of the lion. The lake is the heart. When in the heart one begins to seek, one finds self, the secret of which one had not known fully.
Therefore know that you have to expect nothing by initiation, that it does not give a new power, a great power or visions. No, this school does not pretend to give things of that sort. It is a school of tradition of thousands of years, to which belonged saints and sages whose names are found in manuscripts of the past, whose names are not imaginary names, whose lives can be found in the history of the past.
Therefore, know that behind us is a backbone of tradition of masters, prophets, wise men, and sages who have proved to have understood the secret of life.
Knowing this, we shall be conscious of the dignity of the path of initiation in the school of the Mystic Path. How can this dignity be observed?
First by closing the lips. It is the light-hearted who throw all out what is given to them, who speak of spiritual matters to anyone. This should not be your manner. You must show the lion’s heritage, keeping the lips closed on sacred matters. Mind not if another has a different belief, a different conception. The Mystic is above the differences of opinions. The whole secret of this path is to journey with the lips closed. No discussion, no argument, not too much talking on the subject of the soul which is too sacred to be talked about with everyone.
Besides, if you disagree, if you feel contempt for another custom, another manner, it shows your limitation. By tolerance, by understanding, by forgiving one shows that the heart is large enough to assimilate all things. The ordinary mentality respects certain things and other things it does not like. The more one becomes spiritual, the more one is assimilating, understanding. The higher one is spiritually evolved, the greater is the willingness, the readiness to forgive. “To know all is to understand all.”
One might ask: Through the school of initiation, what does one learn? No principle? What principle has one to adopt? And I say: There is only one principle and that is the largeness of your heart. And who will judge it? You yourself. Every thought, word and feeling you must weigh, you must find out whether it is large or small, or whether it shows lack of evolution, imperfection.
Success in this school depends upon the unfoldment of those who belong to it.
Man has an earthly body but a heavenly soul. His earthly parentage is apparent; his real parentage is God’s parentage. The more aristocratic and noble, the more conscious, the more there is the expression of the divine. Then whatever one thinks or feels or does, one expresses the divine. This is the right principle. There is no need for Murshid to tell you what is small or large.
As the eyes can discriminate, the heart can discriminate whether what we think, say or do is small or large. A person may be in a high rank or position, he may have a great wealth; if his heart is small, he is a small person. Whatever he does is small. Another may be void of all that belongs to the world and yet if his heart is large, he is great. In this way, by struggling with the self one will find nobility, which is a divine heritage. Thus life will become harmonious, an expression of the divine.
Besides, there is another thing and that is meditation. By that is not meant to pray on Sunday, or every evening, or to close the eyes for a few minutes. That is the beginning. That is not what I mean. But our whole life we must be in meditation, with everything we do; not one single moment should pass without. By this one accomplishes a task which is the only yearning of the soul: to seek perfection.
Remember in which boat you are traveling – in the boat of responsibility. Keep before you the dignity of your ideal. And by persevering faithfully, you can be sure of the desired result, without doubt.
God bless you.
Principles of Life
In the language of the Hindus duty is called Dharma, which means religion. The more one studies the nature and character of what we call duty, the more one begins to see that it is in the spirit of duty that the soul of religion is to be found. If duty was not so sacred as to play such an important part in one’s life, a form of religion would be nothing to a thoughtful soul. It was, therefore, wise on the part of the ancient people who called religion duty, or duty religion. For religion is not in performing a ceremony or a ritual; the true religion is the feeling or the sense of duty. Duty is not necessarily the purpose of life, but it is as the lighthouse in the port, which shows one, “Here is the landing place, here you arrive, here is your destination.” It may not be the final destination, but still in duty one finds a road which leads one to the purpose of life.
It seems that, though the knowledge of duty is acquired after a child has come into the world, yet the child has also brought with him into the world the sense of duty. And according to the sense of duty which the child shows, he gives promise of a good future. A person may be most learned, capable, qualified, powerful, influential, and yet if he has no sense of duty, you cannot rely upon him. As soon as you find out that there is a living sense of duty in a person, you at once feel confidence; you feel you can depend upon that person. And this feeling that you get is greater than any other impression a person could make upon you; in this is all virtue and strength and power and blessing. You value a friend whom you can trust; you value a relation in whom you can have confidence. Therefore, all the qualifications that man possesses seem to be on the surface, but beneath them there is one spirit which keeps them alive and makes them really valuable, and that spirit is the sense of duty. Those who have won the confidence of the whole nation, and there have been few in the history of the world who have won the trust of a multitude, those have proved to be really great; and it was accomplished by developing the sense of duty.
Now there are five different aspects in considering the question of duty.
- Duty Towards Children
One aspect is to think of our duty towards the generation; towards children, our own children and those of others. To those who are younger in years we have a certain duty. To our friends, our acquaintances who have not yet evolved enough to see things as we do, there is also our duty. And if once one were conscious of this, one would find many things in life which require one’s attention, and if they are overlooked one has really neglected one’s duty. Whatever be our position in life, rich or poor, we still have a kingdom, and that kingdom is our self. We can help and serve in thought and deed, in word or in action needed at a certain moment. By every attention given to this question, by everything done in this respect, however material it might seem outwardly, a religious action is performed.
- Duty Towards Fellow-Creatures
Another aspect of duty is the duty to our fellow-creatures; to one’s co-workers, to the friends and acquaintances with whom one comes in contact in everyday life, with whom one does not have the feeling of older or younger, or any difference. We have a duty towards them. In the first place, to study the psychology of their nature; if we have to teach them, not to teach them as a teacher; if we help them, not to help them as a benefactor; whatever help we give them, to do it in such a way that even we ourselves do not know about it. That is the best way of serving. For even to do good is most difficult if we do not know how to do it. If we were able to win the affection of our fellow-men and to do some little service unassumingly, without the thought of appreciation or return, we have certainly performed a religious action.
- Duty Towards Elders
The third aspect of duty is towards those advanced in years. To have sympathy for them, to have respect for their age, for the experience they have gained; even if they have not that qualification or learning which we have, it does not matter. Perhaps they know something more which we do not know. We cannot learn all things; we cannot know all things. There are things that experience teaches; there are things that age brings to them. If in a person, however intelligent and capable, that sentiment for age, that respect for his elder brother, that consideration for those who are advanced in years, his mother, father, brother or sister, teacher or friend, has not yet been born, he has not yet known religion. For in this is the foundation of religion.
It is said that a child of the Prophet one day called a slave by his name and the Prophet heard it. The first thing he said was, “My child, call him Uncle; he is advanced in age.”
Besides, there is a psychological action and reaction; those who have reached the ripened condition of life have arrived at a stage when their goodwill for the younger ones comes as a treasure, a living treasure. Sometimes the intoxication of life, one’s absorption in worldly activities, that ever-growing energy which one experiences in youth, one’s power and position and knowledge and capability, make one overlook this. But if an opportunity is lost, it is lost; it will never come again. We are all in this world travellers, and those near to us or those whom we see, they are the ones we meet on our journey. And therefore it is an opportunity of thinking of our duty towards them. Neither shall we be with them always, nor will they be with us. Life is a dream in which we are thrown, a dream which is ever-changing. Therefore an opportunity lost of considering our little obligations in our everyday life which form part of our duty, is like forgetting our religion.
- Duty Towards the State
The fourth aspect of duty is our duty to the state, to the nation, and to all those personalities whom we find therein, above or below; a king, a president, a commander, an officer, a secretary, clerk, porter, or servant; a spiritual source of upliftment, such as a church, a spiritual center and personalities connected with it, priest or clergyman; one’s counsellor or
teacher. Towards all these we have a duty, and in observing this alone we accomplish Dharma, our duty.
- Duty To God
And the fifth aspect of our duty is to God, our Creator, Sustainer, and the Forgiver of our shortcomings. One might say, “We have not desired to come here; why were we sent here?” But it is said in a moment of disturbance of mind. If the mind is still, if a person shows good sense he will say, “Even if there were nothing else given to me in life, to be allowed to live under the sun is the greatest privilege.” One says, “I toil and I earn money, and that is my living which I make. Who is to be given credit for it?” But it is not the money we eat; what we eat is not made in the bank. It is made by the sun and the moon and the stars and the earth and water, by nature which is living before us. If we had not air to breathe, we should die in a moment.
These gifts of nature which are before us, how can we be thankful enough for them? Besides, as a person develops spiritually he will see that it is not only his body that needs food, but also his mind, his heart, his soul; a food that this mechanical world cannot provide. It is the food that God alone can give, and it is therefore that we call God the Sustainer. Furthermore, at a time when there was neither strength in us nor sense enough to earn our livelihood, at that time our food was created. When one thinks of this, and when one realizes that every little creature, a germ or worm that no one ever notices, also receives its sustenance, then one begins to see that there is a Sustainer; and that Sustainer we find in God, and towards Him we have a duty.
In spite of the justice and injustice we see on the surface of this world, a keen insight into one’s own life will teach that there is no comparison between our faults and our good actions. The good actions, in comparison to our faults, are so few that if we were judged we should not have one mark to our credit. It does not mean that justice is absent there. It only means, what is behind law? Love. And what is love? God. And how do we see God’s love, in what form? In many forms; but the most beautiful form of the love-of God is His compassion, His divine forgiveness. Considering these things, we realize that we have a duty towards God.
It is these five different aspects of duty that, when we consider them and when we begin to live them, they begin to give us the sense of a religious life. Religious life does not mean living in a religious place or in a cemetery or in a church, a religion that is all outward. The true religion is living and being conscious of the sense of duty that we have towards man and towards God.
Someone may say, “How is it that a person who lives a life of duty, is often void of love, beauty, and poetry?” I do not think that duty has anything to do with depriving a person of love, harmony, and beauty. On the other hand, when the real spirit of duty wakens in a person, it is that which begins poetry. If there is a beautiful poem to be found, if there is anyone who has experienced love, harmony, and beauty, it is that person who understands the sense of duty.
For instance, a new-born child: he has come from heaven, he is as happy as the angels, he is beautiful in infancy, he is an expression of harmony, and he is love himself; and yet he does not know love, harmony, and beauty. Why? Because he does not yet know duty. But the moment the spirit of duty is wakened in a person poetry begins; and when poetry is begun, then love, harmony and beauty manifest to his view fully.
But one might ask, “Duty is responsibility; how can we be delivered from this great load of responsibility?” In two ways: he is already delivered of this load of responsibility who has no sense of responsibility. He does not want to take it up as his responsibility. He is quite happy; he does not mind what anybody thinks of him; he does not mind whom he hurts nor whom he harms; he minds his own business quite happily. He is delivered already.
And if there is another deliverance, it is attained by living the life of duty; it is by going through it. For going through it will raise a person higher and higher, till he rises above it, and he will be most thankful that he has gone through the path of duty, the sacred path of Dharma; for by this finally he has been able to arrive at a stage of realization in which alone is to be found the purpose of life.
Prayer of Inner School of Mysticism
Heavenly Father,
We dedicate this School of Mystics of all religions unto Thee.
We dedicate this temple to all races, all people.
We dedicate this temple to all masters and founders of all true religions.
We dedicate it to all teachers who spread the words of God.
Heavenly Father, bless this Temple and bless us all.
Amen.
Our aim is to help others REALIZE and spread the knowledge of UNITY, so that the bias of faiths and beliefs may of itself fall away, the human heart may overflow with love, and all hatred caused by distinctions and differences may be rooted out for the sake of harmony.
Our ideal is to educate the heart, mind and body of humanity, one at a time, in the Universal Ideal of ONENESS with GOD.
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Nestled between the fresh waters of Flathead Lake and the soaring peaks of the Swan and Mission Mountain range, our facilities offer space where you can come to seek wisdom, reconnect with nature, and renew body and mind.
