What is the Ishayas’ Ascension?

The Ishayas’ Ascension includes a series of tools to retrain the mind and body to return to their natural and expanded state. The natural state is one of restful alertness with no worries of the future, no guilt from the past, and the ability to live a life of accomplishment and integrity. To develop to full potential, it is necessary to move beyond the
relative state of life and align with the Absolute
that lies at the depth of one's being.

The Ishayas’ Ascension nourishes the mind as a gardener might nourish the roots of a tree. As the roots receive nourishment they effectively tranfer life to all the branches of the tree. This describes how Ascension feeds the root of all life, which when unobstructed enriches the entire being of the individual. Instead of feeding the individual branches of belief, the whole tree is nourished and as a result,
all areas of life improve.
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How Does Ascension Work?

Ishayas' teaching of Ascension integrates a series of techniques called Ascension Attitudes which take the mind beyond the busy, surface level of the mind to experience the Absolute Unbounded Source or Root of Being. The Source of Being is love, energy and intelligence.
We call it the Ascendant.

The mind enjoys this, and as the mind continues to engage in the practice of using the Ascension Attitudes, it becomes established more in its' Essential Nature or Unbounded Status. By touching the Source, the energy contained in the Ascendant automatically helps to purify the nervous system by relaxing the mind and body to remove stress accumulated through mental and physical activities. Eventually, the nervous system comes to a completely peaceful state to reflect this Essential Nature. The clearer the nervous system gets, the more the mind is able to rest in the Source of its' Being, and the more love, energy and intelligence can flow into every experience of life.

By using the Ascension Attitudes the mind becomes more and more consciously aware of the Source of Life and appreciation for life naturally grows.

Appreciation is the natural result of becoming aware of the connection that exists in all of life and in all of creation. Everything about the experience of life changes as this unity of life is realized.
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What is the Ascendant?

The Ascendant is more than the sum total of everything that is. It is the Source, the Essence and the Goal of all that is. Everything that is relative emerges from the Ascendant, is experienced, and returns to the Absolute.

The Ascendant cannot be measured or defined. We can assign a name to it, like Infinite or Unbounded or Absolute, but these still imply it is something. Any name for the Ascendant or belief about the Ascendant is not the experience of the Ascendant.

The Ascendant is without prior cause;
It is its own cause; it is ever-the-same, unchanging.
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The Ascension Attitudes engage the mind’s natural desire to experience more of life. They are enjoyable to the mind, and work with the natural tendencies of the emotional right and the analytical left sides of the brain. They balance the right and left hemispheres and create deep coherence in the brain wave patterns. This style of functioning uses much less energy and places far fewer demands on the body. This gives the body a chance to rest very deeply. Because of this deep rest the body gets a chance to do what it
naturally does, which is to heal itself.

Ascension Attitudes are direct statements of Truth. They are more and more pleasing at each deeper level of the mind. So when they are used as vehicles for ascending, the mind is naturally drawn from the everyday surface level of experience inward to its Source. When the mind reaches the Source it stops to rest. This is so because it finally finds the satisfaction it has been seeking in all of its many activities.
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The Ascension Attitudes are statements of Absolute Truth used as simple meditative thoughts. They come from the highest level of enlightenment, directly from the Ascendant, and are designed to naturally lead the mind inward to the seat of consciousness itself. These techniques are different from affirmations in that an affirmation works at the surface of the mind, telling the mind what one wishes were true. The Ascension Attitudes however by-pass the surface mind and go directly to the root of Being. As we tend to the root of our being all aspects of life rise above limitation so that life is lived in a state of freedom and joy. The Ascendant is our true nature and being; the attitudes lead the mind inward to reconnect with this Truth.
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Ascension is both. Ascension Attitudes are tools that redirect the mind to an inward movement into the seat of Consciousness itself. This is the essence of both prayer and meditation; the inward direction of knowing the Self and knowing the Absolute Good.

These tools are powerful pure statements of Truth that are deeply personalized by the user. They contain the essence of praise, gratitude, love, and compassion. These pure Truths apply to all aspect of the individual's life, the relationship of Spirit and humanity in belief and experience.

These Ascension Attitudes align the user's heart and mind to the Infinite, the Absolute--beyond all concepts and limiting beliefs, beyond all fears, into the pure Truth of what is Real in each heart--expansive Innocence and Purity.

The essence of all meditation is to know the Self. The essence of all prayer is to also know or commune with the Self. To be able to apply this to every situation lived on earth is the goal of human life. The Truest objective of prayer is the connection of the heart and mind to the Divine and the ultimate goal is to unite with the Divine.
The same is true of meditation,
to transcend all previous ideas and limitations,
and free the soul to live
its' True nature here on earth.
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Praise is the natural state of everything in the universe. This Truth goes largely unnoticed because in the waking state of consciousness the senses are outwardly preoccupied and untrained to perceive the more refined or subtle aspects of creation. For an example of the natural state of Praise
listen to the crickets here.

Praise is simple appreciation. Appreciation is a choice; a shift of the mind from viewing the glass half empty to seeing it half full. Praise is magic. When we praise or appreciate, our consciousness expands. There is a beautiful link between the emotions of Praise, Gratitude, and Love. When you give appreciation to something in your universe, naturally gratitude follows; this leads to increased love.

Have you ever praised someone or received praise? The immediate response is gratitude back towards that person, and then love spontaneously grows between you. These ascending emotions are woven into the fabric of creation. They are the driving force which causes
ascension in our consciousness and the world.
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“Ascension” means to rise above. What happens during the practice of Ascension is that the individual rises above their previous state of conscious awareness and begins to experience the higher states of appreciation in the aspects of Reality that lie hidden beneath the surface of stress, judgment, and belief.

This creates a state of problem-free living. “Problem free” does not mean challenge-free: life does not become flat or passive; problem-free does mean that inner stability is greater than any challenge from life; the inner creativity available for use is greater than any problem.
Any challenge can be and is met and solved in the simplest, most graceful and most beneficial way
once this state has developed.
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The practice of Ascension is supremely simple. It utilizes the natural tendency of the mind to seek greater happiness and of the body to heal itself. As such no effort is required. In fact any effort will only hinder the benefits to be obtained from this ancient process.

The natural tendency of the mind to experience more of life draws us inward. So the mind already knows how to ascend, and will do so automatically when given the proper tool, the Ascension Attitude. Indeed the most common difficulty practitioners express is in
being completely easy with Ascension.
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A unique aspect of this practice is that it can be
used with the eyes open and closed.
The two aspects of the practice go hand in hand.

The closed eye part is similar to meditation in use. The inward movement of the closed eyed practice expands consciousness and the body receives rest. This begins to establish a state of restful alertness in the body as consciousness expands.

“Open eyed” means that one can use the Ascension Attitudes throughout the day during activity.
Open eyed Ascension helps the mind stay present and helps the body keep from gathering more stress
during the busyness of daily life.
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The Ishayas hold weekend courses called First Spheres that include the basic four tools required to learn to ascend. These four techniques address the four root stresses of the modern world and replace them with a foundation for living life in Truth. During the First Sphere weekend, time is spent alternating between intellectual understanding of the teaching and time spent practicing the techniques with the guidance of teachers. By the end of the weekend, participants are able to practice the tools
of Ascension and incorporate them into their daily lives.

Ishayas' Ascension is taught by qualified teachers. It is taught from one enlivened heart to another. Courses are taught all over the world, and schedules can be set at different times to meet the class needs. Visit the
course schedule for a list of upcoming classes.
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We honor the tradition of presenting personal experience to a person in our teaching because that is what works. When taught by qualified teachers, in a manner that allows you to experience it for yourself, you will leave the class with the knowledge and skill needed to use these techniques any time you choose to do so. You will have the tools and information that can change your life if you chose to use it.

Ascension is an experiential teaching. Your experience will be uniquely yours. The experience of something is very different than the intellectual understanding of it. Therefore you will find there are books and audio sets that talk about Ascension, but the actual techniques are not given out in books or audio sets.

Without appropriate guidance, it would be difficult for one to know if they are doing the technique correctly. Teachers of Ascension have spent considerable time in training
and in practice to be able to give guidance
in the practice of Ascension.
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One beauty of Ascension is that no effort is lost in this practice. If you simply desire relief from stress it will give you that. If you desire to fully realize your enlightened status it will take you there, all depending on your own desire and commitment to the goal. All that is required to practice is a functioning nervous system capable of thought. Ascension is not a belief system and so conflicts with no religion. Anyone with a desire to experience more love and Truth in their life can practice these techniques.
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There are five books written by MSI about Ascension:
Ascension!, An Analysis of the Art of Ascension
as Taught by the Ishayas
First Thunder! An Adventure of Discovery
Second Thunder! Seeking the Black Ishayas
Third Thunder! Orah the Deathless Dancer
Enlightenment! The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,
A New Translation and Commentary.

Each of these books is available at our Bookstore.
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Ascension is an ancient teaching from the Ishayas. The last Ishaya before this age to bring it forward to the world was Jesus the Christ. Jesus taught Ascension to his disciples as a simple mechanical technique to clear the nervous system of stress and permanently expand the mind. When the world was not fully ready to receive Ascension, John the Beloved preserved the Teaching in a monastery in the Himalayas until humanity was ready to receive it. In the 1990’s, Maharishi Sadasiva Isham (MSI) was directed to release the Teaching in accordance with wisdom and in full consciousness. Thanks to the Ishayas, this practice can be taught in purity, and remains the same simple
Truth now that it was in eons past.
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The Ishayas have been in existence from the beginning of humanity. These guardians of humanity have so much love that they constantly reside on earth to show the way. Hidden away, they can be detected only by those with great thirst for Truth, yet they are always helping mankind. They are available for guidance to those ready to find the Pearl of Great Price, or the Kingdom of Heaven.

These ancient ones were instrumental in guiding and teaching Jesus to become the fullness of his True Christed Nature. Jesus brought the teaching of Ascension to the public for a brief time. However, mankind was not able to fully embrace the teaching, so he requested John the Beloved to return to the Himalayas to keep the teaching in its purity until a later time. Ascension became available in the west in the early 1990’s.

"Ishaya" is a Sanskrit word. Its' meaning is to stand for Christ Consciousness. Many have taken the name Ishaya in recognition of the fullness of their True Nature, as well as to honor the Lineage of those that have gone before them and are eternally present in guiding them into the fullness of their own conscious evolution.

The Ishayas' teaching is not about a guru, but the eternal connection between Teacher and student. This connection is the thread that resonates within each individual to guide them through the doorway to full realization.
When the student is ready the Teacher appears.
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We are not teaching a belief system. The practice of Ascension does not require belief. The Ishayas offer a mechanical, systematic means to expand consciousness. A religion, however, is based on belief. These techniques allow the mind to expand beyond its previous limits by giving it direct experience of the Unbounded "One" absolute nature of reality. Ascension can be used at any time in any situation. You may believe anything you wish and the techniques, when used, will still work to move the mind inward and allow healing of the body to occur.
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The monks of the Ishaya order are individuals who have dedicated their lives to expanding consciousness and increasing purity, unconditional love and compassion in themselves and in the world. Expansion of consciousness is very natural to the human being. It occurs in any person of any race, age, faith or sex. There are no external criteria. It is like electricity, you do not need to believe in it for it to work. You simply flip the switch, and the light comes on.
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Maharishi Sadasiva Isham, known as MSI, brought the Teaching of the Ishayas Ascension to the west in the early 1990’s. He founded the Society for Ascension and began training teachers. He wrote five books about the Art of Ascension listed above and in the Bookstore. Before he left his body in 1997 he made sure he had students conscious enough to carry on the lineage and
tradition of the enlightened.

MSI made it clear that his personal story was supremely unimportant and that Ascension is not a guru driven movement. Expansion of consciousness is the birthright of all, depending only upon the free choice of those with the wisdom to seek it out.
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The Ishaya Tradition holds Teacher Training courses comprised of six months in-residence training. This course is created for those ready to live from the highest level of commitment, ready to fully master the Art of Ascension as taught by the Ishayas.

If you are interested in attending this course, contact us for additional information and an application.
The minimum requirement to attend Teacher Training
is the First Sphere of techniques,
and a one week Ascension retreat.
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