Sudarshan Kriya : The Spiritual Journey

Have you ever had this experience that you were doing what you always do, following your daily routine, and suddenly you become aware and wonder what the purpose is of all this? It is like you suddenly ‘wake up’. Most people might never question their existence, but once this happens in your life, it becomes difficult to just continue living the way you were doing before. You want to know more, find out what the purpose of your life is, of this existence. The more aware you become, the more this ‘thirst’ keeps growing…

In The Matrix, Neo has the same question. “Have you ever had this feeling where you are not sure whether you are awake or still dreaming?” His urge to know the Truth about existence is very strong, and just like any sincere seeker, when the thirst is strong enough, the Master, or Guru, appears in one’s life. Morpheus and his team keep scanning The Matrix for people that are ‘ready to be woken up’ or ‘to be unplugged’. Those people are like spiritual seekers, who have reached that level of maturity that will allow their intellect to be open enough to consider the possibility of the Truth: that all this is Maya, an illusion, created by the mind itself. If you watch the movie from this point of view, and if you have some experience with Sudarshan Kriya, meditation and spiritual practices, you will find many interesting dialogues and details.

Trinity tells Neo: “It is the question that drives us. It is the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did: “What is The Matrix?” And the answer is out there. And it will find you, if you want it to.”

When Neo gets a glimpse of The Matrix, he is not sure whether he wants to go through with it. Trinity tells him: “Neo, you have to trust me. Why? Because you have been down there, Neo, you know that road, you know exactly where it ends. And I know that’s not where you want to be.” Neo then realizes that his thirst to know the Truth will only get quenched if he takes this leap of faith.

When they finally meet, Morpheus tells Neo: “Let me tell you why you are here. You are here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You felt it your entire life. You don’t know what it is, but it is there, like a splinter in your mind. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I’m talking about? The Matrix. Do you want to know what it is? The Matrix is everywhere, all around us, even now in this very room. Unfortunately no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. After this there is no turning back. Remember: all I’m offering is the Truth, nothing more.”

And a little later, Morpheus tells Neo: “Have you ever had a dream Neo, that you were so sure it was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?”

“I’m trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You are the one who has to walk through. You have to let it all go Neo – fear, doubt and disbelief. Free your mind, “ Morpheus tells him.

And my favorite part is when Neo meets a small monk boy when visiting the Oracle. The boy is bending a spoon with his mind, and then tells Neo: “Do not try and bend the spoon – that is impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth. What truth? That there is no spoon. Then you’ll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.”

Finally Neo realizes the Truth, or reaches self-realization. He is now able to do things nobody even thought possible – he is able to bend, or even break, the rules of The Matrix. It reminds me of the amazing things a fully enlightened Guru, like His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar does. The Sudarshan Kriya taught in The Art of Living Course is like the red pill that has already unplugged millions of people – and that without the pain, slime and nasty plug points all along the spine!

Those who have read the ‘Yoga Vasistha’, the crown jewel of ancient Vedantic scriptures, can recognize instantly how the knowledge in the book has been tweaked intelligently to create The Matrix.  According to Sage Vasistha, “Creation is what one sees and is aware of, and this is within oneself.”  The Yoga Vasistha provides delightful insights into the ancient Vedanta wisdom, the nature of existence, reality, governance and dissolution.

It seems fitting that the theme song at the end of the Matrix Trilogy is the ancient Vedic mantra ‘Asato Ma Sad Gamaya, Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya’ (which means ‘lead us from untruth to Reality, from darkness to Light, from death to Immortality’).