"To Jesus through Mary": Kriya Yoga and the Holy Trinity

Dharmadevi and I were preparing for a kriya yoga initiation at Ananda Village this past weekend. A few days before the initiation, an unexpected inspiration visited us.

Ram and Denise, our friends from Ananda village, were married the Wednesday before the initiation. Among the attendees were friends from afar and a young (old) sixteen-year-old soul from Mexico. Dharmadevi and I had known her from her visits to Los Angeles years ago and always felt a spiritual connection with her.

Leaving the divine ambiance of Ram and Denise's wedding at the Temple of Light, our young friend, Jessie, turned to us with earnest spiritual inquiries. Her first question was, "If I'm not this body, then who am I?" She touched upon the one essential question we all have to answer.

As our conversation deepened, she asked, "Why am I here?" And to cap it off, her last question was, "How do I return to my spiritual home?" Her questions made us think inwardly in Spanglish, "Que una alma deepa!" Translation: What a deep soul!

Aren't these the questions all seekers ponder? She sounded like she was reciting part of the Festival of Light from Swami Kriyananda:

Her sincere queries and our Christmas kriya initiation together reminded me of the Catholic Holy Trinity dogma: "to Jesus through Mary." Paramhansa Yogananda said the Holy Trinity represents the Sanatan dharma truth of ascending to Christ consciousness through Aum (the sacred vibration). Or Aum Tat Sat (Mother, Son, Father).

An Eastern example of the Holy Trinity is depicted in a mystical diagram, the Sri Yantra. At the center of the Sri Yantra is a little dot (Bindu), representing pure consciousness. We can think of that dot as the baby Christ child. Mirroring "to Jesus through Mary," the Bindu is cradled in the yantra's sanctum sanctorum–the smallest downward feminine triangle. 

Another example of the Holy Trinity is Swami Kriyananda's song, "To Mary There Came," from his Oratorio "Christ Lives." The lyrics are:

In the practice of kriya yoga, we strive to realize the truth of the Holy Trinity. Where does our practice begin? With Divine Mother through the energization exercises! We awaken the energy and move it in the deep spine to lift it to the Christ center at the point between the eyebrows. "To Jesus through Mary" or "Through Mary the light descended."

Herein lies the ineffable blessing of kriya yoga—it answers our spiritual questions through direct experience. 

So, to prepare for the holiday season, have questions and answers with Divine Mother and the Kriya Yoga Masters in your meditation. Hear their answers through the divine joy of your own being and know your Holy Trinity of God, Christ, Guru! 

P.S. To learn more about kriya yoga through Ananda sangha, visit our kriya yoga webpage here.