1
2
Correspondence
from
India
Interview Part 1
.
Swami
Shankarananda
Giri
Integral Studies Academy
team has reached to Swami
Shankarananda Giri in an
atempt to engage with the
milenary wisdom of Kriyayoga lineage and to bring
to Monad’s readers and the
Academy folowers an ever
more integral perspective
on life and its veey pertinent
questions. Swami has kindly
accepted to answer our
many questions and we are
delighted to present here
the first part of this opened
diallogue of wisdom.
Swami can also be found at
https://www.kriyayoga.com
Q:
What
is
happiness?
Happiness and everlasting
happiness...
SWAMI (SSG) In scriptures it is
said that the 5th chakra is
called - Ananda mayakosha,
ananda meaning happiness.
But it is very difficult to give an
understanding
about
happiness.
Muladhara
chakra
(first chakra) is annamaya
kosha
(physical
matter),
swadisthana
chakra
(the
second
chakra)
–
pranamaya kosha (the life),
manipura
chakra
(third
chakra) is manomaya kosha
(the mind), fourth chakra,
anahata is budhimaya kosha
(vijnanamaya)
–the
knoledge, (superknoledge),
fifth chakra is anandamaya
kosha – peace or happiness.
But it is also said that the so
called peace does not exist,
it is mere an illusion.
If you think of happiness, then
there is unhappiness too.
If you think of light, there is
darkness too. If you think of
powerful bright light, then it
should be very deep and
intense darkness also.
Happiness... everlasting
happiness, what we mean by
this does not exist. It does not
exist... If you say day,
indirectly you are talking
about the existence of night...
And what is that which is
everlasting?? The only thing
which
is
everlasting
is
the..Existence...Now, am I
existing here or not? I am
existing now...
Many
years
ago,
students living in the hostel of
the university which was
located just behind our
ashram in Bhubaneswar, used
to come from time to time to
take bath in our premises
when they run out of water,
especially as there was no
boundary wall. There was a
group
of six or seven
teenagers
studying
Philosophy
which
started
coming to the ashram quite
often making it as a habit to
have arguments with me.
You know, Philosophy
students, they like to argue
and debate about anything...