Presence & Awakening – June Reflections

June 3, 2026 Comments 0 Comment

Opening Reflections

Welcome back to The Open Door.

This month we continue the journey with excerpts and practices from the INO writings, always pointing back to the full texts on internationalnathorder.org — the heart of the Order.

We also share some moments from the recent INO Mela 2026 in Florida. May these images bring you a sense of the joy, community, and living spirit of the Order.

Read, reflect, experiment as it suits you. The material is always there, open and waiting.

Peace, Freedom, and Happiness to All.

Wisdom from the INO

Two timeless pieces from the INO offer guidance this month, inviting reflection on the Master Pattern of the Order and the framework of its functional aspect.

Master Pattern of the International Nath Order

Being a Nath means this: the transformation into an intelligent way of life and lifestyle created by yourself.

by Shri Gurudev Mahendranath

We cannot cure the violence in the world in which we live, or filter away the pollution which we have to breathe. We cannot cure the system which keeps us poor and the mind in chains, or cure the social structure, customs, and traditions which make for unhappiness and become so unbearable to sane people.

The International Nath Order is not a complete or final system. It can never be so because it is based on the growth, progress, and development of the initiated members. You are given a few notes and guidelines by the guru, and on these, you have to build, experiment, and attain.

You must put aside the conditioning and brainwashing of the past, which now determines your attitudes, actions, and thought patterns, and begin to think for yourself on the basis of fact, reason, and common sense. Being a Nath means this: the transformation into an intelligent way of life and lifestyle created by yourself.

We must not only have a valid reason for being alive, but the Nath way of life should insulate us from the evil situations with which humans have polluted the world. An individual cannot easily get away from the crazy society and environment which surrounds us, so we not only have to create an invisible screen, but re-train our minds so that we are not disturbed by the garbage world and polluted thinking of humanity.

By Nath meditation, rhythmic breathing and tranquility, we are relaxed while the rest of the world goes by.

First, the Nathas take note of The Five Kleshas or avoidances. These five (ob-blocks) obstructions block the way to all human spiritual advancements and attainments. They must be mastered before meditation begins. The Five Kleshas are the cause of all suffering and pain.

The five pain-bearing obstructions,
The root causes of trouble and strife:
Ignorance, Ego, Repulsion,
Attachment, and Clinging to Life.

The degree to which these are overcome is the degree of success in meditation and attainment of enlightenment. If we watch our actions and thinking today, we can create something stable, real, and worthwhile for tomorrow. The past is not important, but some of it may be valid if it can be taken as a guide and experience to warn us not to repeat the same mistakes.

This is not for everybody. You cannot save the world. Most will want to cling to the rat race, establishments, and superstitions, and live and die to preserve them.

Our responsibility is only practical if it is only related to ourselves. We must develop a way of life which renders us immune to the madness of the modern world. Thus, in chaos, we preserve our cosmos and tranquility.

We must ever remain conscious that we are immortal spirits and particles of the Cosmic Spirit, which are eternal and indestructible. Receive the spiritual accolade of the Divine, and peace, freedom, and happiness can be yours. The International Nath Order welcomes you.

INO: Framework and Functional Aspect

We seek to create the conditions where we can activate the occult mind/spirit faculties. This is the functional basis or paradigm.

By Sri Kapilnath

In terms of the INO, the idea is to present a framework and encourage people to work with the key ideas and discover the useful patterns as they presented themselves to Awareness.

To be more explicit, I would say that one of the key ideas was to do Work in the Zonule which lead to an experience of our Divine Consciousness. In this sense, we could say that “puja” or zonule work was engineered to be a rite of transit in which one moved from everyday consciousness or Awareness into the Sanctum of Divine Consciousness and “back to usual” at the closing of the rite.

The approach could take many forms. Many advanced Naths eschewed ritual, because they had learned to put the higher faculties into operation solely by a bit of concentration. Please note however that few or nobody started out like this. If you have a body, it is likely that you may benefit from or be required to do some form of formal exertion in order to progress on Helix Spiral.

The “functional aspect” which remains of pivotal importance, is that in this Divine Space, one seeks to unfold into operation the super faculties of Insight, Intuition and Imagination.

This if successfully achieved could bring the triad of Will, Knowledge and Action into operation as a single unified Shakti and the Self-Illuminating paradigm. In other words, we seek to create the conditions where we can activate the occult mind/spirit faculties. This is the functional basis or paradigm.

Most Naths (generally speaking) are defined as or become Monists who apprehend Reality as Non-dual. There is only One. Inside of this Unity is great diversity and it goes on and on.

Having said that, many Naths also embrace the Dual and worship various Divine Forms. All of this is done without conflict and a Yogi can be a Dualist and Worship in order to experience the Non-dual. This is the play or duel of the Dual and Non-Dual. Shiva/Shakti and the Play of Consciousness.

Most of Shri Mahendranath writings are intended to give pieces of the puzzle. There is no one way which fits to all people, so the puzzle pieces need to be worked with until the pieces reveal the pattern and fall into place.

It would be easy to set out a bunch of pujas or rituals, but the outcome of this is that most people would just be “doing the ritual.” Not everybody is intending to do or achieve the same thing and a “puja” or “ritual” must have purpose or meaning as a part of its definition. It is very easy for a ritual to go in circles.

What we are trying to do by any spiritual/occult exertion is to move into a ever new dimension of being with new powers and Awareness. A rising Helix process which takes us by each step of serious exertion to new conditions of being or identity.

The limitations of this process are mostly enforced by our Karmas, Kleshas and Konditioning. It is this triad of limitations which must eventually become the focus of our spiritual/occult exertions in order to be overcome.

Having a body remains a tricky condition and all embodied beings should remain mindful of what type of focus and exertions will contribute to their success. On various levels of the human experience, the concept of “success” varies widely. Perhaps wildly.

Direct Practice

This month’s direct practice focuses on meditation and samadhi as the gateway to the Supreme Reality and undifferentiated oneness.

The Yoga Vidya of Immortality

True meditation leads to experience of peace and bliss that can never come from the methods of worldly life.

by Shri Gurudev Mahendranath

Meditation and Samadhi

Those who make their first attempts at meditation soon become aware of difficulties. These mostly arise because the mind rebels against the peace and tranquility that meditation is intended to produce.

In worldly life, the mind is conditioned to jump about from idea to idea and becomes habituated to activity, which is regarded as a high ideal in normal life. It is probably true to say that mind activity is essential in the lives of most people. Most education and conventional patterns of modern society encourage this.

However, this must not be confused with the awareness that meditation develops. Awareness is natural and arises spontaneously from one’s inner being. It is not the same as the active, busy person who is always “wide awake” simply because he relies on previous ideas and experiences to make decisions.

It is little surprising that these conditioned people soon find meditation very boring and prefer to be lost in the robot activity which comes more easily from habit. True meditation leads to experience of peace and bliss that can never come from the methods of worldly life.

Patience and perseverance are, of course, essential. Meditation is not an end in itself but trains the mind and body to the stage of complete contemplation (samadhi), where mind and soul attain close relationships and understanding.

The Adinathas did not regard samadhi contemplation as the final stage but demonstrated that samadhi could lead to the stage of samarasa — the perfect assimilation; undifferentiated oneness in which the yogi sees himself as the world, and the world as being in him. It is the real stage of unity and equipoise, where the microcosm becomes one with macrocosm; it is true moksha.

The Siddha-Yogi Gorakhnath defines the Ultimate Truth, the Supreme Reality, and its understanding as follows:

“The Absolute Truth is the nameless, formless, and subject-objectless perfect unity of existence and experience, free from all contradictions and relativity, qualifications, limitations, and negations. The Absolute Truth, by virtue of its infinite, eternal, dynamic aspect, eternally and freely manifests itself in all kinds of names and forms, all orders of phenomenal existences and experiences, all sorts of dualities and relativities, and harmonizes and unifies them in the all-comprehending calm and tranquility of itself.”

Thus, Gorakhnath expresses the Absolute as the Universe, the macrocosm as one with microcosm, and the concept of samarasa.

Meditation and Samadhi is presented here in full from The Yoga Vidya of Immortality by Shri Gurudev Mahendranath. For the complete manuscript and other sections:

Read The Yoga Vidya of Immortality

Community & Events

Vibrant Moments from the INO Mela 2026 in Florida

Virtual Kula Discourse

The Virtual Kula Discourse remains a valued monthly anchor for practitioners around the world. Hosted by Sri Vijayanath, these live one-hour Zoom sessions explore Tantra, Mantra, Yoga, Meditation, and the living teachings of the International Nath Order.

Participants share how deeply it supports their practice:

“The Virtual Kula has been indispensable in navigating my spiritual path… After four years, it remains a priority.” — Soma Devi

“Connecting with practitioners worldwide inspires my sadhana.” — Acharanath

Open to initiates, aspirants, and sincere seekers. First session free. $17/month thereafter (cancel anytime). Recordings provided.

Join the Virtual Kula Discourse

Peace, Freedom, and Happiness to All.

Connect & Stay in Touch

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We invite your reflections in the comments (open for two weeks). Share experiences, questions, or thoughts — they are always welcome and may inspire others.

International Nath Order