VOTE SELF FOR YOUR AND
THE WORLD
By Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) and Swami Veda Bharati
“If scientific and technological advances are the measure of our human progress, why haven’t we already established fearlessness and peace, banished sickness from the body and mind, and ended hunger, falsehood, racism, misogyny, war and violence? If you believe in your heart that humanity has the potential to end our long-standing calamities, are you ready now to vote for your Higher Self with every thought, word and deed––in every relationship and on every field of action? Are you ready now to be the change that you seek?”
The modern method of philosophical thought requires that the analyst define a problem, and then search for its solutions, rather than possessing some aspect of Higher Knowledge and then employing that Truth as a solution to a problem that has not yet been identified. The ancient Yoga Scientists were most concerned with the issue of pain experienced by all living beings, and not merely the pain of a given species, a particular individual or a specific time or situation. Their concern was not for specific pains and the means of finding pleasures to compensate for those pains, but
rather, for the problem of pain itself. Now, let’s examine one of the methods whereby the pain of mind and body may be lessened. This method is known as AMI Meditation® with a mantra.
According to the Ancient Yogic Law of Manu: “All dependency on other than one’s Higher Self is pain, and what is controlled by one’s Higher Self is pleasure. Know this to be the definition of pain and pleasure.”
In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras the cause of pain is defined as the ignorance of our true nature, and the means for totally eradicating pain is the re-discovery of
our Higher Self. Higher Knowledge, therefore, is primarily defined as the knowledge of the true nature of the Higher Self. And all other knowledge proceeds from this eternal wisdom. When the external knowledge of the world of objects is not directed and controlled by the mind’s unerring internal, Super Conscious Wisdom, that lower knowledge becomes destructive.
It is for this reason that humankind today is so insecure, fearful and angry; why so many believe the fabric of society is now in the process of being destroyed, and that the sources of physical pleasure and comfort that science has created for us are being lost.
Yoga Scientists see one way out of this debilitating and frightful condition, and that is to reawaken our God-given connection to our own internal Higher Knowledge.
If dependency on the external sources of lower knowledge is pain, and Higher Knowledge alone is our antidote for the pain, then dependency on outer, lower knowledge is self-defeating and powerless to accomplish any purpose. In the long run, it will only lead to destruction––again and again. On the other hand, all Higher Knowledge is derived from within. For example, by following the guidance of the mantra in deep meditation, thousands of years ago, meditating minds perceived the concept of a wheel as it exists in the internal, subtle energy field of chakras. Having received this grace of seeing things as they are, human beings merely projected that image into the objective world, shaping wood and metal to fashion the wheel after an internal image. The shapes and forms in the objective world are reminders of the energy fields and their force-patterns within ourselves, but when they are not treated as such, matter
inevitably clashes with matter, and forms return to energy.
For this reason the ancient founding masters of Yoga Science embarked on the spiritual journey of self-inquiry. And if these women and men, from over 6,000 years ago, were to appear to us today (as, in fact, they do to those with the eye to see and ear to hear), they would ask us, “Dear Human Being of the 21st Century, when scientists create a spaceship, the metal and machinery converted into that spaceship have been made possible only through human inspiration––accessed from subtle intuitive wisdom. But today, what progress, Dear Human Being, have you made in your lifetime to lead yourself and the world to ease, and erase the many longstanding calamities facing us all?”
If you were left standing alone in a desert or a mountain cave with no external props like a cell phone or computer to depend on; in other words, if you stood absolutely naked in solitude and silence, what could you do with your mind and body? In what way are you an improvement on what the human being of 6,000 years ago could do? Are your senses under greater control? By applying your wisdom, speech and action, can you divert the attention of an opponent from an attitude of conflict and war into compassion, insight and peace?
Can you control your fear and anger today more than the human being of 6,000 years ago? Can you pull yourself out of a depression without paying another human being hundreds of dollars an hour? Can you slow down your breath and thus prolong your life span? Can you improve your digestive function internally, or permit greater absorption of lifegiving oxygen into your system? Can you, at will, from within your body, produce antidotes for poisonous
hormones surging through your body and for all those many forms of pollution brought to you by your own creation known as civilization? And finally, can you know and dwell in your everpure, ever-wise and ever-free nature without being agitated by external charms, attractions and temptations?
These are the things that Yoga Scientists can do. Their path leads to true progress for humanity, while the path for most human beings leads to the progress of buildings, automobiles, ships, trains, planes, technological gadgetry and other forms of metal and rock. No doubt, many of these are necessary for our physical comfort, but they are not necessarily comforting for the mind, as the increasing incidence of mental disturbances in modern civilization attests to.
The worship of that which is impermanent is a mark of materialistic cultures that dwell mostly on the faulty concept that the body is, or somehow can become, immortal. Instead, the Yoga Scientist is taught how to seek that which is permanent within––not the transient, but the transcendental.
For thousands of years, dedicated Yoga Scientists have embarked on a journey of self-inquiry and self-discovery, looking into the highest possible potential of the physical body, the internal organs, senses, breath, all different levels of the mind, and finally reaching into the very core of spiritual energy. Today they are taught at AMI how to develop a methodical system, charting maps of consciousness and ways in which the relatively more inner coverings of human faculties control and direct the forces in the progressively outer coverings.
Along the way, they discover the means for improving and enjoying the
health of all the human faculties, beginning with the outermost skin of the body and reaching to the depths of the central most powers of the mind.
They do this through personal experimentation, and during these experiments they induce deeper states of consciousness in the mind and observe these states in real time. They also witness the effects of these alterations on their general psychological development, and on their physical faculties and functions. It was through such countless acts of experimentation, over millenia, that all the secular sciences such as astronomy and mathematics, as well as the political and social sciences, were developed and taught––always within the context of spirituality, and never outside of it. It was here that the masters trained their disciples through conscientious self-discipline into the ways and means of entering the inner secrets of the body, mind and Consciousness. This ancient tradition still continues today as part of an unbroken lineage at the American Meditation Institute.
No doubt, many people do experiment with their lives today, and technically, this may be considered a form of self-experimentation. But it is not on the same level as the self-experimentation conducted by Yoga Scientists. In today’s modern culture, self-experimentation is done mostly in pursuit of physical pleasures and exciting new experiences, and is tied to the ephemeral objects of the ever-changing world. It is not accomplished purely with the mind nor within the mind alone. In the practice of AMI Meditation, a Yoga Scientist is taught how to follow well-defined paths through the veils, mazes and chambers of the inner person while always having a clear view of the sumum bonum, the greatest gift that is Enlightenment.
Captain’s Log: Stardate 1967
By Alan Watts
In 1967, Alan Watts wrote the following passage in “The Book: On the Taboo of Knowing Who You Are.” For me, his words were an inspiration. They awakened my inspiration to begin, in earnest, my own involutionary exploration of consciousness.
Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
“There was never a time when the world began, because it goes round and round like a circle, and there is no place on a circle where it begins. Look at my watch, which tells the time; it goes round, and so the world repeats itself again and again. But just as the hourhand of the watch goes up to twelve and down to six, so, too, there is day and night, waking and sleeping, living and dying, summer and winter. You can’t have any one of these without the other, because you wouldn’t be able to know what black is unless you had seen it side by side with white, or white unless side by side with black.
In the same way, there are times when the world is, and times when it isn’t, for if the world went on and on without rest forever and ever, it would
get horribly tired of itself. It comes and it goes. Now you see it; now you don’t. So because it doesn’t get tired of itself, it always comes back again after it disappears. It’s like your breath: it goes in and out, in and out, and if you try to hold it in all the time you feel terrible. It’s also like the game of hide-and-seek, because it’s always fun to find new ways of hiding, and to seek for someone who doesn’t always hide in the same place. God likes to play hide-n-seek, but because there is nothing outside of God, he has no one but himself to play with! But he gets over this difficulty by pretending that he is not himself. This is his way of hiding from himself. He pretends that he is you and I and all the people in the world, all the animals, plants, all the rocks, and all the stars. In this way he has strange and wonderful adventures, some of which are terrible and frightening. But these are just like bad dreams, for when he wakes up they will disappear. Now when God plays “hide” and pretends that he is you and I, he does it
Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance, manifesting and dissolving the universe.
so well that it takes him a long time to remember where and how he hid himself! But that’s the whole fun of it–just what he wanted to do. He doesn’t want to find himself too quickly, for that would spoil the game. That is why it is so difficult for you and me to find out that we are God in disguise, pretending not to be himself.
But when the game has gone on long enough, all of us will WAKE UP, stop pretending, and REMEMBER that we are all one single Self–the God who is all that there is and who lives forever and ever. You may ask why God sometimes hides in the form of horrible people, or pretends to be people who
suffer great disease and pain. Remember, first, that he isn't really doing this to anyone but himself. Remember too, that in almost all the stories you enjoy there have to be bad people as well as good people, for the thrill of the tale is to find out how the good people will get the better of the bad. It’s the same as when we play cards. At the start of the game we shuffle them all into a mess, which is like the bad things in the world, but the point of the game is to put the mess into good order, and the one who does it best is the winner. Then we shuffle the cards and play again, and so it goes with the world.”
January 2025 will mark the 6th Annual observance of National Conscience Month. Throughout the month Americans from all walks of life will be imagining new ways to celebrate the benefits of experimenting with their Conscience to guide their thoughts, words and deeds.
Here’s a special opportunity for high school seniors across the nation! You’re now invited to participate in a unique and creative way by writing a short essay about using your Conscience instead of old habits. Think of a real situation in your life or create an imaginary scenario in which you allowed (or chose not to allow) your Conscience to guide your thoughts, words and actions. What were the results? What were the benefits? Did you experience any unexpected consequences? What did you learn from your experiment?
One talented student will receive a $2,795. scholarship,* awarded for an original essay of 1,000 words or less. *$2,000 scholarship for Higher Education, and $795 scholarship for the AMI Meditation Foundation Course
Submission Instructions: No membership or purchase of any kind is required to take part in the National Conscience Month Essay Contest. Essay submissions should be sent by email to ami@americanmeditation.org. Submissions should be sent as a PDF attachment. Submissions must be received no later than Monday, February 3, 2025. The contest winner will be notified by email. Submissions may be featured by the American Meditation Institute either online or in print in connection with National Conscience Month programming and promotions, and the right to reproduce submissions is reserved by AMI. For complete information visit: ConscienceMonth.org E-mail essays to: ami@americanmeditation.org Essays must include: your name, address, phone number and high school name.
A Six-Week Scientific Journey to Enlightenment
A MI MEDITATIO N® Foundation Course of Yoga Science
with Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
A Living Link in the World’s Oldest Health & Wisdom Spiritual Tradition
A Clinically Proven Mind/Body/Spirit Curriculum
Developed by Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev), and derived from his award-winning books
The Heart and Science of Yoga and YOUR CONSCIENCE ®
Yoga Science & Philosophy–WEEK 1
Learn to expand your creative consciousness
How to use the mind for the best choices
Understanding pain as an agent for healing
Increasing energy, will power & creativity
Antidotes for worry, stress and depression
AMI Meditation®–W EEK 2
Systematic procedure for AMI Meditation®
Diminishing distractions with your Mantra
Learning the one-minute meditation
Building focus and fearlessness
Breathing Techniques–WEEK 3
Breath as Medicine
How breathing irregularities foster dis-ease
Three-part diaphragmatic breath
Yoga Psychology & Ayurveda–WEEK 4
Coordinate the Four Functions of the Mind to access the power and Inner Wisdom of Your Conscience
Use the power of NOW to build and heal relationships
Ayurvedic Medicine & Nutrition for your health
Easy-Gentle Yoga Exercises–WEEK 5
Yoga stretches to detox the lymph system and benefit your muscles, nerves, joints, glands & internal organs
Physiological benefits of yoga postures
Mind / Body Self-Care Plan–WEEK 6
The healing power of prayer
The practical benefits of contemplation
Creating a therapeutic self-care plan for yourself
Learning to budget your time
Integrating spirituality into daily life
FOUND ATION COURSE – Live on ZOOM & A MI Home Center
Endorsed by Dean Ornish MD, Bernie Siegel MD, Larry Dossey MD
Taught by Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
Leonard (Ram Lev) is an American spiritual teacher, a direct disciple of medical pioneer Swami Rama of the Himalayas, and a living link to the world’s oldest health and wisdom spiritual tradition. A noted educator, philosopher and Yoga Scientist, Leonard is the founder of the American Meditation Institute, developer of the AMI Foundation Course curriculum, and originator of National Conscience Month. He is the author of the awardwinning books, The Heart and Science of Yoga® and YOUR CONSCIENCE, and the Mind/Body/Spirit Journal, Transformation. A rare and gifted teacher, Leonard’s writings and classes are enlivened by his inspiring enthusiasm, vast experience, wisdom, humor and a clear, practical teaching style. Leonard has presented courses at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, numerous medical colleges, Kaiser Permanente, the Commonwealth Club of California, the U. S. Military Academy at West Point and The New York Times Yoga Forum with Dean Ornish MD.
New Findings from the AMI MEDITATION® CLINICAL STUDY
CALENDAR
You are invited to join Jenness Perlmutter & Leonard (Ram Lev)
FREE: Every Sunday 9:30 -11:00am ET GUIDED MEDITATION & SATSANG
AmericanMeditation.org/sunday
LIVE on ZOOM and at the AMI Home Center
NOVEMBER 2024 – JANUARY 2025
Live on Zoom & AMI Home Center
NOV 3 - DEC 8: AMI FOUNDATION COURSE (6 wks) see p. 9 -10
Sundays, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET
NOV 7 - 21: MAKING ENLIGHTENED CHOICES see p. 11
Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (3 wks)
DEC 2 - JAN 6: GITA/ YOGA PSYCHOLOGY (6 wks) see p. 12
Mondays, 6:30- 8:30 PM ET
DEC 7 & 14: ADVANCED TANTRIC HEALING see p. 11
Saturdays, 1:30 - 3:30 PM ET (2 wks)
DEC 22: JESUS’S SECRET LIFE IN INDIA see p. 15
Sunday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM
JAN 5 - FEB 9: AMI FOUNDATION COURSE (6 wks) see p. 9 -10
Sundays, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET
JAN 9 & 16: YOGA SCIENCE LAB® see p.12
Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET (2 wks) Live on Zoom Only
JAN 13- FEB 17: GITA/ YOGA PSYCHOLOGY (6 wks) see p.12
American Meditation Institute
Education for Enlightenment®
November-December, 2024 • Vol. XXVIII No. 1 PO Box 430, Averill Park, NY 12018
©2024 by Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) and The American Meditation Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, Inc. americanmeditation.org \ Tel. (518) 674-8714 ami@americanmeditation.org
AMI is a tax exempt, non-profit 501(c) 3 educational organization. Donations are fully tax deductible.
HOW TO MAKE ENLIGHTENED CHOICES
10 Indispensable Keys for Rewarding Decision-Making
Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter
Level II: This course offers 10 practical guidelines for better decision-making. Known as the Yamas : ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (conservation of energy), aparigraha (non-possessiveness) and Niyamas: saucha (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (selfdiscipline), svadhyaya (self-study), Ishvara pranidhana (self-surrender). These principles will help you reliably access your intuitive wisdom to resolve every issue skillfully. You’ll learn how to quickly recognize emotional triggers and transform the contractive power of those unhelpful, stress-provoking, negative emotions and habits into an expansive, creative and dynamic force. This annual course is highly recommended for all students.
THURSDAYS, 6:30 - 8:30PM ET $125. (3 WKS) NOV 7 - NOV 21 LIVE ON ZOOM
ADVANCED TANTRIC HEALING “Yoga Nidra” Practices To Benefit Mind and Body
Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev) –– AMI Founder
Level II: This advanced 2-week course provides instruction on the subtle energy healing of Tantra, a system of powerfully effective tools for self-care and stress management. These therapeutic practices minimize tension, facilitate energy flow, calm the mind, awaken creativity, enhance memory and retard the aging and disease processes. You’ll receive instruction in the practices of yoga nidra, shitali karana, shavayatra, and tantric visualization
SATURDAYS, 1:30 - 3:30PM ET $125. (2 WKS) DEC 7 & 14 LIVE ON ZOOM
YOGA SCIENCE LAB ® How to Practice Meditation-in-Action
Valerie Chakedis Ed.D.
Prerequisite: AMI’s Foundation Course
Level II: In the AMI Meditation® Foundation Course, you learned that your thoughts are your most valuable asset. The Yoga Science Lab® will help you examine your thoughts and expand your ability to focus your attention. The techniques learned in seated AMI Meditation® are applied in every duty and responsibility throughout the day. This process is called Meditation-in-Action. As you experiment with the Truth reflected by your Conscience, you’ll develop decisionmaking skills that will enhance your confidence in all relationships. As you have already learned, to experience real freedom you must be centered in the present moment, know who you are, and follow your Inner Wisdom. The Yoga Science Lab® can help you achieve that freedom!
THURSDAYS, 6:30PM -8:30 PM ET, $75. (2 WKS) JAN 9 & 16 LIVE ON ZOOM
YOGA PSYCHOLOGY
BHAGAVAD GITA STUDY
Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness Perlmutter
Level II: In continuous six week installments this course presents the profound teachings of the Bhagavad Gita as a handbook on the science of life and the art of living. If you are seeking a manual or guide for the supreme task of living a fulfilling and purposeful life in the world today, this ongoing study will provide you the practical wisdom, tools, meaning, courage and confidence you need. Each week Leonard and Jenness will teach you how to reduce stress and enhance your health and creative abilities, while offering you a fresh, positive perspective on all your personal and business relationships. This course provides the practical blueprint to resolve all of life’s challenges.
MONDAYS, 6:30 - 8:30 PM ET, $150. (6 WKS) DEC 2 - JAN 6 AND JAN 13 - FEB 17 LIVE ON ZOOM & AMI HOME CENTER
Take this 2-Minute
americanmeditation.org/fc/#quiz
1.
2.
3.
“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.
If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
JESUS THE CHRIST (GOSPEL OF ST. THOMAS) His Teachings as a Master of Yoga Science & Philosophy Presented by Leonard (Ram Lev) and Jenness (Devi) Sunday, December 22, 2024 • 9:30 -11:00AM ET Live on Zoom and at the AMI Home Center O N Z OOM : americanmeditation.org/jesus
A Six-Week Scientific Journey to Enlightenment
AMI MEDITATION® Foundation Course of Yoga Science with Leonard Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
See pages 9 and 10
“We live in challenging times. Whether it is the affairs of the world or a more private struggle that disturbs your peace, solutions can feel elusive. Some days are better than others, of course, when kindness and grace and insight appear. But some days are worse, when fear and anxiety overwhelm, and there is no light in sight, at least not in your corner of the world. Each of us faces challenges every day, large and small, but as Einstein so wisely advised, we cannot solve these problems by relying on the same kind of thinking that got us into trouble in the first place. In other words, we must seek a higher knowledge. I know you’re not Einstein – neither am I – but each one of us, including you, already has access to the source of the greater wisdom and creativity we need to solve life’s most difficult challenges. Please join me for my upcoming AMI Meditation Foundation Course. It will be the greatest gift you ever give yourself and the world.”
Leonard
Perlmutter (Ram Lev)
