What is this Satsang & Darshan magazine all about?
This is not only the age of ‘discovery’ and ‘coming to our senses’, but also the age of ‘uncovery’! The uncovering of
consciousness from individuality and vijnana…
All over the world more and more people are stepping out of the dark ages of mass-consciousness into the twilight
zone of self-consciousness and starting to identify themselves with individuality. The development of individuality
starts with the mental. In Dutch the word for a human being is ‘mens’ . The word ‘mens’ comes from the word
‘manas’: the ability to think and have thoughts. In the Advaita Vedanta and the Yoga of Light we call this typically
human layer in consciousness ‘the astral’ or manomayakosha. In Sanskrit the word kosha means veil, sheath or
cover. A kosha is a veil, sheath or cover in and of consciousness. Mano-maya-kosha stands for the thinking-
illusionary-layer.
The major development of manomayakosha or the astral, is the ability of reflecting, referring, projecting,
imagining, predicting and anticipating what comes, creating (a conceptual) ‘past’ and ‘future’, etc. One becomes
aware of one’s own behavior. With these mental abilities to reflect upon one’s own behavior, most of the time a
byproduct starts to happen. When one starts to leave the sheep-flock of mass consciousness, one also loses the
guidance of the shepherd and becomes something between an animal and a manager. People start to identify
themselves with a twilight being, a surrogate shepherd or even a wolf. Most people start to create a mental
projection, a mental construction, about themselves. This illusionary mental construction becomes the basis of a
self-imagined and self-initiated gestalt. An imagined ‘self-construction’ or ‘self’ with self-images.
Because one becomes also conscious of this imagined or constructed ‘self’, we call this self-conscious. One
imagines a gestalt in the form of a self, an I or a person. Like a black spot on a white wall, the life of an individual
often starts to draw and center around ‘such a black spot’ of an illusionary ‘self’. Such a being imagines having a
core and is centered around such an illusionary core. The centering around such a black or blind spot becomes ‘the
dark side of the moon’, ‘the dark side of individuality’, which is normally called an ‘ego’ or ‘personality’.
We also speak of egocentricity. Egocentricity, the confusion of and the gravitation around a ‘self-imagined entity or
identity’, is momentarily the cause of all the major problems on this planet. Over-accentuation and over-emphasis
of self-consciousness leads to self-distortions such as… self-importance, self-enrichment, self-empowerment, self-
attention, self-creation and self-centeredness. It is this blind spot of egocentricity that creates an inability to shift
and place one’s attention in other viewpoints, situations and creatures. Such a being lacks real humanity, charity,
kindness, mercy, sympathy, tenderness, benevolence, empathy, compassion, surrounding, clarity, grace, awareness,
bliss, happiness and Love…
Finally, when the state of individuality matures, it starts to see through its self-constructions and the self-
consciousness with its self-images and self-centeredness. More and more it awakens from this false sense of
selfhood, self-importance and self-gravitation and starts to blossom and scent. This flowering of individuality is
called ‘intelligence and a feeling heart’. In Sanskrit we call this intelligent-feeling-heart-sheath Vijnanamayakosha.
In the word Vijnana-maya-kosha, vijnana stands for discrimination, co-ordination, self-consciousness, self-
management, self-control, self-understanding, feeling, warm-heartedness and healthy self-doubt. For the first time
one becomes a fully developed and fully equipped human being. In the word Vijnanamayakosha, the particle ‘Vi’
implies the discriminating, separating, and arranging of things, for that is the peculiar function of this sheath. One
finds the adjective Vi also in the word Viveka (Vi-veka, discrimination).
In the Vijnanamayakosha experiences from the manomayakosha are reflected as concepts. The manomayakosha
collects and elaborates, the Vijnanamayakosha arranges and discriminates. Ordering, systematization,
concentration, focussing, managing, the ability to identify with ‘other viewpoints’ and ‘other creatures’, the ability
to leave (a conceptual) past and future and live in the present and the ability to make and create nuances, belongs
to the top of vijnana. The lower bodies receive and deal with sensations, perceptions, the making and elaborating
of ideas, but it is the work of Vijnanamayakosha to arrange these, to discriminate between them, and perform the
work of abstract reasoning from them. Here there is pure intelligence, clear vision, intelligence unmoved by the
senses, intelligence tranquil, strong and serene. In Vijnanamayakosha also lies the creative power of meditation, the
energies that grow out of the ability of contemplation. In case of a blossoming Vijnanamayakosha the originator of
the Advaita Vedanta, Adi Shankara, speaks of Vivekachudamani (Viveka-chuda-mani), ‘the crown jewel of
discrimination’.
From the blossoming of vijnana one starts to scent Jnana. From the flowering of Vivekachudamani, Jnana becomes
airborne. On the top of the Himalayas the sharp and clear eagle jumps from the roof of the world and spreads its
wings to become a spacious being… Exactly here on the top of the world, where the last split of mind (the vi of vi-
jnana) is left behind, the realm of Jnana (mayakosha) opens up…
It is exactly from this top of vijnana and the blossoming of Vivekachudamani, where one starts to realize and enter
Jnana and from where this Satsangmagazine takes off…
Welcome to Satsang & Darshan, and welcome to this uncommon realization magazine...
INTRODUCTION
SATSANG MAGAZINE
INTRODUCTION
SATSANG MAGAZINE
What is the meaning of Satsang?
Originally the word Satsang comes from
the Sanskrit word Satyasangha, which
means association (sangha) with Satya,
association with the Absolute Truth, the
Absolute uninterrupted Radiant. Sat
means ‘beingness’ and ya means ‘not’ ,
‘before’ or ‘beyond’. So, Satya means
‘beyond’ or ‘before’ beingness’, ‘the
absolute Truth’, ‘the Radiant Heart’, ‘the
Original’…
But as very few can do that immediately,
because it is to subtle in the beginning,
they have to do the second best, which is
association with the manifest Truth
(Sat), the mediate. In that case
Satsangha or Satsang, mean ‘association
with Sat’, ‘association with the mediate
Truth’, ‘association with Beingness’.
Beingness is in Satsang the bridge to
cross over to Beyond Beingness.
What is Darshan and what is the
meaning of Darshan?
Like Satsang, Darshan is also a Sanskrit
word. Darshan is derived from the
Sanskrit word Darshana meaning
‘auspicious sight’, ‘Divine vision,’ ‘Bright
appearance.’ or ‘Wholly glimpse’. Da
means ‘Divine’ and sha means to see
(through), to shine (through). In
Darshan the Divine is looking through
and coming through.
Darshan also refers to the six Hindu
philosophical systems from which Yoga
and Advaita Vedanta are the most well-
known. Advaita stands for Nonduality
or Oneness and Vedanta stands for ‘the
end of the Veda’s’, ‘the end of knowing’
and ‘dissolving in what lies beyond’.
The Darshan of yoga is thousands of
years old. The system and teachings of
yoga Darshan were codified and
organized by Patanjali into the Yoga
Sutras.
Darshan has a different approach than
Satsang. Darshans are meetings in the
divinity of your True Nature and invite
the direct absorption into the Divine.
Instead of looking at or for the Divine,
in Darshan one allows the Divine
looking through ‘your’ eyes. From this
direct auspicious Sight, the Divine
recognizes itself in and through
everything.
