How important is self-development?

As a person undertakes the first steps towards self-realisation, I encourage them to study the chosen spiritual practice materials in order to understand the work to be done. It’s neither superpowers or social opportunities in life, nor anything related to achievement. It’s simply the well-being that is built up along the way to realisation. We are talking about something that has to do with a person’s spiritual advancement. One must clearly understand where the practice is heading.

Reading literature and communicating with Masters is certainly very important. Suppose you have chosen a direction, and you need to meet with a Master to ask questions and figure out where to go next.

Nowadays, there is an abundance of books. It is often just beating about the bush. There are these “so-called” books. “The Complete Encyclopaedia of Yoga”, for example. It’s about 2.5 cm thick, but in fact there’s nothing there.

I advise reading books written by realised Masters. If we take Kriya Yoga, these are the books of Paramahansa Yogananda. There are several other spiritual leaders in the world today. You can choose Sri Aurobindo’s books, all Sathya Sai Baba’s books. Being God incarnate and the Avatar, Sai Baba is divine in nature. He carries the Knowledge and has presented it in a way that people can understand.

They say, the ingenious is always simple. Truth shall be conveyed in clear, simple words. Therefore, the books of realised Masters are most important for people, all other books are basically unnecessary. People who have walked their own path or are walking it now may be interesting to learn from, but I would not advise copying from them. One better take the example of those who have already achieved Realisation and proved to the world that they are indeed Holy.

Obviously, you have to give up all bad habits. If one appears to lack this opportunity, even though it is always there, one should be refine oneself towards attainment, awakening the will through understanding the things that really matter. If the goal is important, you need to withdraw from anything that gets in your way. You must approach serious practices through cleansing the body, through developing the energy system, the bio-energy of the person. One must get into the physical practice of certain techniques in order to then move on to pranayamas.

Yoga has eight major limbs: yama, niyama, asana, also called vyayama, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. If one has mastered the first two or three, they can move on to the fourth and fifth and set their objective as taking control of the senses, which is pratyahara. However, if they are at the first level and struggle to cope with their habits, then they need to work on it.

In Kriya practice that works universally, preparation starts straight from the first stage. Practising Kriya as a mindful action, you will take control of many levels of consciousness at once in a single movement. Kriya-pranayama promotes detachment and certain qualities that awaken the will and power of the Spirit.