It has been some time since we were looking at the Sutras, but there was some necessity on my own part to step back for want of loosing the forest for the trees and step away for a bit, but we're back.
Book III of the Sutras has a mixed role and reputation within contemporary (and I am guessing historical) readers/explorers of the Sutras as it contains the often-mocked, sometimes-praised, usually glossed-over Siddhis, or "magical/super" powers that a Yogi/ni may accrue with diligent practice...It is a chapter/book that some will use to show that Yoga is some arcane form of sorcery and can corrupt our minds and bodies and others will cough loudly when talking about the Sutras and politely omit the Siddhis from conversation because, despite being the "Spiritual Warriors" that we are, we don't REALLY believe in THAT...
I smell a rat.
To condemn the Sutras in toto because of the Siddhis or to ignore this section because it is too weird for our oh-so-sophisticated, rational 21st-century minds are both the product of exactly what the Sutras are aiming to amend, namely: a-vidyã, or ignorance.
Looking back, before moving forward, we remember that Book III begins with the Trinity of dhãranã-dhyãna-samãdhi, the three final and so-called "internal" limbs of Patañjali's ashtanga system, collectively known as samyama, which is the main theme for the rest of the book. Although the eight limbs are not precisely sequential (as I suggest Yama and Ni-Yama are perpetually being tested in our daily lives and hence never quite "done"), but there is the idea that the first 5 limbs need to be addressed first before going down the Rabbit Hole of inner-consciousness. For, as we shall see in the coming Sutras, if one is not fully prepared, that Rabbit Hole might just hold some surprises that are too much to deal with. The Siddhis, in turn, are not something to be desired or the goal of Yoga, but, quite the contrary, they are to be avoided! So, our first group of Book III opponents are much like protesters of a movie who have not gone to see it..., and, as with Yoga, it is a choice, You May Leave if You Wish...
The Journey to the East (Die Morgenlandfahrt), a curious book by Hermann Hesse, (who also wrote a little novel called Siddhartha, but that's another story...) tells the story of HH who joins the nebulous group called "The League" on a journey to the "East." However, (spoiler alert), we soon see that HH loses his way dramatically while on this journey. He lost the forest for the trees. Or, to borrow from Chögyam Trungpa, he became infatuated by his own Spiritual Materialism. Spiritual Materialism, as Trungpa very lucidly (and given his personal habits, this is no small feat) describes in his book, The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation, is the accumulation of so-called "credentials" upon our quest for enlightenment/salvation/peace/love/understanding/fill-in-the-blank...
These credentials are like Catholic indulgences...or like what we see all-too-often in Yoga shalas around the globe these days...the Holier-than-Cow attitude that "I do Yoga, therefore, I don't have the same problems, or I am absolved from being pain in the ass because I did Ashtanga this morning..." It is the hypocrisy that runs rampant in all religions, spiritual pursuits and ideologies. Namely, because I do "x" I am above the law of the riff-raff. Moreover, as I was reminded by my dear friend while discussing this last evening, it is the age-old issue of a lazy cut-and-pasting of what works for us, when we want it to, and how we want it to, usually taking it out of context (see below on 3.16...).
Yeah, well, that is exactly what Book III is warning us about...Spiritual Materialism and losing our way on our Journey to the East...
Maybe there is more to this section that originally meets the Mind's Eye...so let's take a moment to look and see what we can see.
The immediately preceding Sutras (3.8-13) dealt with the three parinamas, or evolutions. These three evolutions are of: nirodhah (restraint/control/stilling), samãdhi (synthesis, integration, profound awareness) and ekagrata-cittasya (singularity of mind). From these three evolutions or refinements, we can begin to see the "true" nature of things by way of: dharma-laksha-avasthã or dharma-quality-state of being. In other words, the finer-tuned our senses are, the better we can actually "see" things. (However, as we know from the onset, "see-ing" is merely a play of duality, something that we will ultimately seek to transcend in kavilaya...)
3.14 will take us one step further then with:
shãnta-udita-avyapadeshya-dharma-anupãti dharmi 3.14
Or,
The "dharma-maker" follows the dharma of what is past, arisen (present) and not-yet-determined (future).
What this means is that there is something meta-physical that transcends Time, and if we merely focus on an object/situation frozen in Time, then we are only seeing a portion of its wholeness. Think Donnie Darko when he discovers The Philosophy of Time Travel by Roberta Sparrow...
Dharmin is often translated then as the "sub-stratum" of real phenomena, however, this is a bit limiting as it distinguishes Dharma and Dharmin as two separate existences. It is more like a meta-meta-physical connection that unites them both as we shall progressively see. It is similar to the concept that God cannot be separate from the Universe that God creates...setting up a nice paradox, (which I love).
Moving right along then, with 3.15:
krama-anyatvam parinãma-anyatve hetuh 3.15
Or,
The state of otherness in permutations is the cause of variety in evolution/transformation (parinãma). 3.15
This one sticks in the craw a bit. Still chewing on it because as the more I am reading lately, the more I see that Parinãma is nearly, or even on, par with Dharma and Karma as being the most important words in Sanskrit philosophical works...so, when it arises, I am giving serious pause as to how it is really fitting into the bigger picture. It is a Sequoia or Giant Redwood that can easily obscure the rest of the trees if not careful...
In short, what 3.15 seems to be saying is that the reason that differences exist in Life and it evolution is based upon the permutations of the elements (gunas and the like), which makes perfect sense on a Quantum level...So, for now, I'm sticking with this translation, though as always, suggestions are welcome!
And, then we get to 3.16, which serves as the gateway to the rest of the Siddhis via the implementation of the Samyama en route to our goal of Kaivalya. If you have ever watched an American sports event, you will inevitably see the guy holding up a sign (or having it painted on his his body somewhere...but, hey, that's more or less how Patrick Warburton got started...but, I digress) with the message of: John 3.16, which for Christians is the end-all bumper sticker quote from the New Testament, namely from the King James: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This is the example of taking things out of context, or cutting and pasting to serve one's purpose...Just once, I would love to see someone next to "that guy" holding up "Patañali 3.16"!
So, what does Patañjali 3.16 give us? Surprisingly, something not so far off from John 3.16...
parinãma-traya-samyamãt atita-anãgata-jñãnam 3.16
Or,
Knowledge of that which has past and that which has yet to manifest comes from the samyama of the trinity of parinãmas. 3.16
As we learned from our School House Rock videos, "3 is the magic number" and indeed it is here too. By applying the method of samyama, which is the trinity of dhãranã-dhyãna-samãdhi to the trinity of the parinãmas of nirodha-samãdhi-ekagratacittasya, we can gain knowledge of the things that have gone before and those yet to manifest. Now, on a superficial level, this sounds like (and is usually translated/interpreted as) knowledge of the past and the future...well, not exactly...
This is again separating Time into discreet moments which (spoiler alert) we shall see is the biggest cause of our mis-perception of reality, namely, separating the Present from the Past and the Future...because, remembering our dear Roberta Sparrow, Einstein and Charles Hinton, the Fourth Dimension is Time and if we transcend the concept of Space alone and put a hyphen between the two, creating Space-Time, then we start to get somewhere/sometime. This is what 3.16 is saying in a nutshell. By the application of the samyama, we can make that transition (parinãma) and as a result, the Present becomes united (though it was never not, it is us that causes such rifts) and we can see the bigger picture. This is not the same as fortune-telling as this Sutra is often taken as, but rather, understanding the causal relationship of all things at all times...something that Stephen Hawking spent his life in search of, the Mind of God...be it through science, meditation, religion or Yoga, the goal is the same...
So begins a long, laundry list now of Siddhis, or powers from method of samayama, and some are indeed quite fabulous, but just how improbable are they? Alice spent her mornings thinking of 6 impossible things before breakfast.
Shall we do the Same?
Onwards...
Book III of the Sutras has a mixed role and reputation within contemporary (and I am guessing historical) readers/explorers of the Sutras as it contains the often-mocked, sometimes-praised, usually glossed-over Siddhis, or "magical/super" powers that a Yogi/ni may accrue with diligent practice...It is a chapter/book that some will use to show that Yoga is some arcane form of sorcery and can corrupt our minds and bodies and others will cough loudly when talking about the Sutras and politely omit the Siddhis from conversation because, despite being the "Spiritual Warriors" that we are, we don't REALLY believe in THAT...
I smell a rat.
To condemn the Sutras in toto because of the Siddhis or to ignore this section because it is too weird for our oh-so-sophisticated, rational 21st-century minds are both the product of exactly what the Sutras are aiming to amend, namely: a-vidyã, or ignorance.
Looking back, before moving forward, we remember that Book III begins with the Trinity of dhãranã-dhyãna-samãdhi, the three final and so-called "internal" limbs of Patañjali's ashtanga system, collectively known as samyama, which is the main theme for the rest of the book. Although the eight limbs are not precisely sequential (as I suggest Yama and Ni-Yama are perpetually being tested in our daily lives and hence never quite "done"), but there is the idea that the first 5 limbs need to be addressed first before going down the Rabbit Hole of inner-consciousness. For, as we shall see in the coming Sutras, if one is not fully prepared, that Rabbit Hole might just hold some surprises that are too much to deal with. The Siddhis, in turn, are not something to be desired or the goal of Yoga, but, quite the contrary, they are to be avoided! So, our first group of Book III opponents are much like protesters of a movie who have not gone to see it..., and, as with Yoga, it is a choice, You May Leave if You Wish...
The Journey to the East (Die Morgenlandfahrt), a curious book by Hermann Hesse, (who also wrote a little novel called Siddhartha, but that's another story...) tells the story of HH who joins the nebulous group called "The League" on a journey to the "East." However, (spoiler alert), we soon see that HH loses his way dramatically while on this journey. He lost the forest for the trees. Or, to borrow from Chögyam Trungpa, he became infatuated by his own Spiritual Materialism. Spiritual Materialism, as Trungpa very lucidly (and given his personal habits, this is no small feat) describes in his book, The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation, is the accumulation of so-called "credentials" upon our quest for enlightenment/salvation/peace/love/understanding/fill-in-the-blank...
These credentials are like Catholic indulgences...or like what we see all-too-often in Yoga shalas around the globe these days...the Holier-than-Cow attitude that "I do Yoga, therefore, I don't have the same problems, or I am absolved from being pain in the ass because I did Ashtanga this morning..." It is the hypocrisy that runs rampant in all religions, spiritual pursuits and ideologies. Namely, because I do "x" I am above the law of the riff-raff. Moreover, as I was reminded by my dear friend while discussing this last evening, it is the age-old issue of a lazy cut-and-pasting of what works for us, when we want it to, and how we want it to, usually taking it out of context (see below on 3.16...).
Yeah, well, that is exactly what Book III is warning us about...Spiritual Materialism and losing our way on our Journey to the East...
Maybe there is more to this section that originally meets the Mind's Eye...so let's take a moment to look and see what we can see.
The immediately preceding Sutras (3.8-13) dealt with the three parinamas, or evolutions. These three evolutions are of: nirodhah (restraint/control/stilling), samãdhi (synthesis, integration, profound awareness) and ekagrata-cittasya (singularity of mind). From these three evolutions or refinements, we can begin to see the "true" nature of things by way of: dharma-laksha-avasthã or dharma-quality-state of being. In other words, the finer-tuned our senses are, the better we can actually "see" things. (However, as we know from the onset, "see-ing" is merely a play of duality, something that we will ultimately seek to transcend in kavilaya...)
3.14 will take us one step further then with:
shãnta-udita-avyapadeshya-dharma-anupãti dharmi 3.14
Or,
The "dharma-maker" follows the dharma of what is past, arisen (present) and not-yet-determined (future).
What this means is that there is something meta-physical that transcends Time, and if we merely focus on an object/situation frozen in Time, then we are only seeing a portion of its wholeness. Think Donnie Darko when he discovers The Philosophy of Time Travel by Roberta Sparrow...
Dharmin is often translated then as the "sub-stratum" of real phenomena, however, this is a bit limiting as it distinguishes Dharma and Dharmin as two separate existences. It is more like a meta-meta-physical connection that unites them both as we shall progressively see. It is similar to the concept that God cannot be separate from the Universe that God creates...setting up a nice paradox, (which I love).
Moving right along then, with 3.15:
krama-anyatvam parinãma-anyatve hetuh 3.15
Or,
The state of otherness in permutations is the cause of variety in evolution/transformation (parinãma). 3.15
This one sticks in the craw a bit. Still chewing on it because as the more I am reading lately, the more I see that Parinãma is nearly, or even on, par with Dharma and Karma as being the most important words in Sanskrit philosophical works...so, when it arises, I am giving serious pause as to how it is really fitting into the bigger picture. It is a Sequoia or Giant Redwood that can easily obscure the rest of the trees if not careful...
In short, what 3.15 seems to be saying is that the reason that differences exist in Life and it evolution is based upon the permutations of the elements (gunas and the like), which makes perfect sense on a Quantum level...So, for now, I'm sticking with this translation, though as always, suggestions are welcome!
And, then we get to 3.16, which serves as the gateway to the rest of the Siddhis via the implementation of the Samyama en route to our goal of Kaivalya. If you have ever watched an American sports event, you will inevitably see the guy holding up a sign (or having it painted on his his body somewhere...but, hey, that's more or less how Patrick Warburton got started...but, I digress) with the message of: John 3.16, which for Christians is the end-all bumper sticker quote from the New Testament, namely from the King James: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This is the example of taking things out of context, or cutting and pasting to serve one's purpose...Just once, I would love to see someone next to "that guy" holding up "Patañali 3.16"!
So, what does Patañjali 3.16 give us? Surprisingly, something not so far off from John 3.16...
parinãma-traya-samyamãt atita-anãgata-jñãnam 3.16
Or,
Knowledge of that which has past and that which has yet to manifest comes from the samyama of the trinity of parinãmas. 3.16
As we learned from our School House Rock videos, "3 is the magic number" and indeed it is here too. By applying the method of samyama, which is the trinity of dhãranã-dhyãna-samãdhi to the trinity of the parinãmas of nirodha-samãdhi-ekagratacittasya, we can gain knowledge of the things that have gone before and those yet to manifest. Now, on a superficial level, this sounds like (and is usually translated/interpreted as) knowledge of the past and the future...well, not exactly...
This is again separating Time into discreet moments which (spoiler alert) we shall see is the biggest cause of our mis-perception of reality, namely, separating the Present from the Past and the Future...because, remembering our dear Roberta Sparrow, Einstein and Charles Hinton, the Fourth Dimension is Time and if we transcend the concept of Space alone and put a hyphen between the two, creating Space-Time, then we start to get somewhere/sometime. This is what 3.16 is saying in a nutshell. By the application of the samyama, we can make that transition (parinãma) and as a result, the Present becomes united (though it was never not, it is us that causes such rifts) and we can see the bigger picture. This is not the same as fortune-telling as this Sutra is often taken as, but rather, understanding the causal relationship of all things at all times...something that Stephen Hawking spent his life in search of, the Mind of God...be it through science, meditation, religion or Yoga, the goal is the same...
So begins a long, laundry list now of Siddhis, or powers from method of samayama, and some are indeed quite fabulous, but just how improbable are they? Alice spent her mornings thinking of 6 impossible things before breakfast.
Shall we do the Same?
Onwards...
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