Meditate and become realized
The International Kriya Yoga Organization celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Paramahamsa Yogananda’s coming to the West. It was the master's task to bring East and West closer together. As a part of this series of programs we organize events in Hungary as well. On January 25th we screened the american documentary Awake: The Life of Yogananda (2014), in Szeged.
Only a short time we had to get the hungarian subtitling of the film. We faced another problem when it was found out that we need to ask for a content rating from the National Media and Communications Authority in order to screen film. We were very excited to get the permission in time because we had previously advertised the event in national yoga newspapers and on facebook, making flyers, posters that were placed in local yoga studios, vegan restaurants and herbal shops.
42 people watched the movie at the local alternative cinema, the Grand Café, on January 25, 2020. Prior to the screening, Tímea Szemerszki, a member of the Hungarian Association, praised Paramahamsa Yogananda's work. Visitors were greatly influenced by the film about the life of this spiritual leader.
Next weekend, January 31 - February 2, we held the initiation ceremony. Many people have decided to commit to Kriya Yoga after watching the film. Ursula Schmidtke yogacharya from the European mother center, Tattendorf, gave a free lecture on 31st of June. The next day twelve people asked for initiation from all over the country, six of them from Szeged. Later on they joined the local Kriya Yoga meditation group.
The ancient tradition for learning the royal science of Kriya Yoga meditation begins with purification. Students participate in a holy ceremony to purify the spine and the body. Each seeker is initiated on an individual basis through the direct contact of a teacher of this lineage. The teacher directly infuses the triple divine qualities of sound, vibration, and light into the initiate. Through this process, the seeker learns to perceive the inner light of the soul, hear divine sound, and feel the divine movement sensation all over the body. Sacred mantras are chanted throughout the ceremony with adequate explanations in English.