Glossary of Terms

Amma

The name popularly used to refer to Bhagavan's wife, Padmavati. She is regarded as an incarnation of the Divine Mother, and is considered an Avatar, along with Bhagavan.

Ancient Mind

Rather than having separate individual minds, Bhagavan says that each of us is simply a channel for this collective, primeval mind, which has existed as a continually growing morphogenetic field since the beginning of human history. It includes all the human tendencies that we generally tend to identify with as ours: jealousies, anger, hurt, frustration, lust, happiness, greed, warring, and so on.

Antaryamin

The Indwelling Presence, or atman, known in the West as higher self, essence or inner divinity. This becomes our identity once the illusion of a fixed and separate self is dissolved.

Ascension

A state of full body enlightenment wherein the physical body merges with the so-called light body, a state that has been experienced by ascended masters such as Babaji, Ramalinga Swami, St. Germaine, and several others in the course of human history.

Assemblage point

Derived from the teachings of Don Juan, a Yaqui medicine man, it refers to various centers of consciousness in the physical/subtle bodies, which determine our experience of reality. The deeksha shifts our assemblage point so we can move into a permanent state of altered reality.

Atman

Our essential self, the divinity within. It is the individualized aspect of Brahman. See also Antaryamin.

Avatar

A descent of divinity into human form. Each avatar incarnates for a specialized purpose in order to raise humanity to the next level of collective evolution. Einstein was an avatar for physics; Bhagavan is an avatar for enlightenment. We are now entering the age of the collective avatar, says Bhagavan, and expects that this avataric consciousness will flow through a critical mass of people, who will then give enlightenment to the rest of the world as we transition into the Golden Age.

Bhagavan

Literally means 'bestower of blessings', and is a Hindu term referring to anyone who has realized God. It is also the current legal name of an avatar in south India whose only claim for himself is that he is a technician, whose specialty is being able to give enlightenment through a neurobiological reorganization of the brain.

Brahman

The universal spirit that pervades all creation, and which exists beyond creation. When individualized through any point of creation, it is known as the atman.

Chakra

Literally wheel in Sanskrit. The kundalini energy flows through these 7 centers of energy along the spine, maintaining the life force of the body. When the chakras are dormant, one lives in separation consciousness. When they are fully activated, one becomes enlightened.

Consciousness Scale

David Hawkins, author of the book, Power vs. Force, uses a system known as applied kinesiology to devise a scale of consciousness ranging from 0 to 1000. At the bottom of the scale are states of mind such as guilt, shame and fear, while the upper end of the scale reflects love, joy, and various levels of enlightenment. He says, interestingly, that when a person vibrates on the higher end of this scale, he or she can offset millions of people vibrating at the lower ends of the scale, an assertion which explains how mass enlightenment might eventually be accomplished.

Critical mass

A certain amount, when achieved, at which transformation suddenly and irreversibly happens. This could relate to water turning to steam, or to the hundredth monkey phenomenon, or to global enlightenment!

Dark night of the Soul (or Cloud of Unknowing)

A period of time, sometime after enlightenment has taken place, when the personal unconscious is emptied out. It can be experienced as an intense dryness, emptiness, and inner struggle, similar to what Jesus experienced in the wilderness before the start of his ministry. This process of clearing the unconscious can only happen once the self has dissolved, and is not the same, in Bhagavan's definition, as the periodic slumps that we pass through before enlightenment.

Darshan

A Sanskrit word meaning interview or gathering.

Dasaji

The former name used for the guides at Oneness University. The term literally means, 'one who serves', and refers to both male and female disciples. There are currently 180 dasajis.

Deeksha

The transfer of energy, directed by Bhagavan, which creates a neurobiological shift in the brain, ultimately leading to enlightenment. Although usually a hands-on experience, the transfer can also take place through a glance, prayer, or thought, or by simply being in the presence of someone who is enlightened.

Dimensions

Also known as lokas, these are a multitude of worlds, each operating on a different vibrational frequency, within the created universes. The physical world is only of these. Bhagavan speaks of 21 lokas, each associated with a specific chakra, (7 within the body, 7 below the body, and 7 above the body), which incarnated humans are allowed to explore.

Dosha

The ayurvedic system of Indian medicine proposes that the health of the human body has to do with the balancing of three doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha. When these doshas are in balance, the body becomes more receptive to the deeksha.

Ego

The Western equivalent to what Hindus identify as the self.

Enlightenment

A state of consciousness where the self, or ego, is recognized to be an illusion. When the self dissolves, a new identity emerges, which is the antaryamin or higher self. Bhagavan maintains that enlightenment is a neurobiological phenomenon. It cannot be achieved through ones own efforts, any more than a drowning man can pull himself out by his own hair. Rather, it can be given as a gift of grace through a transfer of energy known as the deeksha, which reorganizes the brain leading to enlightenment. The first stage of enlightenment is the witness state, which in later stages deepens into states of unity consciousness with all creation, and eventually with God: I Am That. As more and more people become enlightened, says Bhagavan, it will create a morphogenetic field which will ultimately result in a collective enlightenment for all humanity.

Essence

See Antaryamin.

Foundation for World Awakening

See Oneness Movement.

Golden Age

Bhagavan speaks repeatedly of this as an Age of Enlightenment. Also called the Satya Yuga, or Age of Truth, he says that according to many Hindu scholars, this officially began in 2003, although it may take a few decades for the effects to be fully manifest. The Golden Age is expected to last 1000 years.

Guides

The teachers, helpers, or deeksha-givers at Oneness University. Formerly known as dasajis, they had been through years of specialized training with Bhagavan before the public deeksha programs began.

Higher self

See Antaryamin.

Hundredth monkey phenomenon

A metaphor for the way morphogenetic fields function, the story goes that a certain tribe of monkeys were observed on a Japanese island learning to wash sweet potatoes in the river before eating them. As more and more monkeys began to teach each other to do this, something very unexpected happened. Suddenly, one day, as a hypothetical hundredth monkey learned this new behavior, it was discovered that every single monkey on the island began to wash their sweet potatoes in the river, and not only that, but every monkey of that species on neighboring islands also began washing their sweet potatoes. A critical mass had been reached in the evolution of that species, which affected the mass consciousness fields of that species, creating an entirely new genetic pathway!

Inner Divinity

See Antaryamin.

Kali Yuga

Hindu cosmology speaks of 4 yugas, or 'ages', which follow each other in linear succession. The darkest of these is the Kali Yuga, and the lightest of these is the Satya Yuga. We are currently in a transition from a Kali Yuga to a Satya Yuga.

Kalki

In Hindu mythology, the tenth incarnation of Vishnu, who is predicted to come at the end of the Kali Yuga to lead humanity into the Golden Age. It is the name formerly applied to Bhagavan, until he decided to stop using it due to the controversy it was creating. This is the age of the collective avatar, he maintains, and everybody who is enlightened, and working for the enlightenment of humanity, is a 'kalki'.

Karma

The law of universal action which states that we reap according to what we sow. It is the means whereby a soul gathers experience through its journey of existence.

Kosha

Literally means body or sheath. There are 5 koshas that interpenetrate each other in every incarnated human being: the anandamayakosha (bliss body), the vignanamayakosha (wisdom body), the manamayakosha (mind body), the pranamayakosha (etheric body) and the annamayakosha (food body), which our senses recognize as the physical body.

Kundalini

The life force energy that runs through channels, or nadis in the spine known as the ida, pingala, and sushumna. It passes through 7 chakras, or centers, in the body as it rises from its dormant position at the bottom of the spine up to the crown of the head, where it meets the descending cosmic energies activated by the deeksha, resulting in enlightenment.

Loka

A location in space and time existing separately and independently of the physical dimension. Many people, as they go through peak states following their enlightenment, find themselves able to travel in and out of these lokas. A shaman is one who has learned to travel through these lokas at will. See also dimensions.

Morphogenetic fields

Literally form generating fields, these fields are hypothesized by British biologist Rupert Sheldrake, to exist as a genetic blueprint for every species on Earth. They permeate the thoughtsphere of any given species, and determine every aspect of its evolution. As illustrated by the hundredth monkey phenomenon, a quantum leap in evolution takes place whenever a critical mass within that species has learned a new behavior or achieved a new state of consciousness.

Mukti

Literally means freedom in Sanskrit, and refers to the freedom from suffering which results from enlightenment.

Nadi

The channels in the spine, and also throughout the body, which carry the kundalini energy.

Nagual

A term used by the Yaqui shaman, Don Juan, to denote the realms of unified consciousness. The laws of the universe operate differently in this realm than in the physical realm.

Oneness Movement

The USA branch of Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma's movement headed by Lay Monk, Sri Raniji. The office is located at P.O. Box 35507, Monte Sereno, CA 95030. Phone 408.399.0156. Email Info@OnenessMovement.org.

Oneness University

Bhagavan's training program in south India where various programs are offered to the public, including courses in parenting, emotional healing, ayurvedic cleansing, and enlightenment.

Phala Deeksha

A specialized deeksha offered at Oneness University which puts participants into a state where they are able to experience and interact with Amma and Bhagavan in their cosmic body. They are then invited to ask for what they desire, whether it is in the realm of health, enlightenment, finances, relationships, or other issues.

Sadhana

A Sanskrit term meaning spiritual practice.

Samadhi

Refers to states of unity consciousness. Classically, there are 4 stages of samadhi in Hindu mysticism. Savikalpa samadhi refers to the early peak experiences of oneness with God. As one spends more time in this state, it evolves into nirvikalpa samadhi, a relatively non-functional state where the person is permanently anchored in oneness. In the 3 rd stage, sahaj samadhi, the physical body becomes attuned to this oneness to the extent that one is now able to function normally while also holding unity-consciousness. In the 4 th stage of soruba samadhi, which is relatively rare, the entire physical body dissolves into light. This process is also known as ascension, and one who has achieved this state is known as an ascended master.

Satya Yuga

In Hindu cosmology, this is the lightest of four yugas, or 'ages', which follow each other in linear succession. We are currently transitioning from a Kali Yuga to a Satya Yuga, which can also be referred to as a Golden Age.

Self

The Hindu equivalent to the term ego, referring to an illusory center of identity which is based in the concept of separation, of existence apart from the whole.

Soul

Also known as atman, higher self, antaryamin or essence, it is a center of identity based in unity consciousness. It is a flow of consciousness revealed as the basis of human identity once the illusory self is dissolved.

Supramental consciousness, or supermind

A morphogenetic field of unity consciousness, as expounded by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, which was anchored into human collective consciousness in 1956, and will be further activated within each human being in the course of humanity's journey of spiritual evolution.

Thoughtsphere

The sum total of all the thoughts and emotions held within the Ancient Mind of humanity. This will dissolve once mass enlightenment takes place, to be replaced by the supermind, an enlightened field of consciousness that will permeate the morphogenetic field of every species on Earth!

Zero point

A term coined by geologist Gregg Braden, it refers to the convergence of two long term geological trends, one being the gradual deterioration of Earths electromagnetic fields, the other being the steady increase in her base harmonic frequency. Braden expects that there will be a collective initiation of the planet when this moment arrives.