And so, we move ever closer to the end.
Book IV will bring us challenges to be sure. The nominal title given to this Book is Kaivalya, which as we have seen means: to be utterly alone; a singularity. However, this singularity is no less than the pinnacle of self-awareness, the goal of Yoga, which is why we began this journey. Book IV is no longer a road map as we have seen in Book II with the introduction of the 8 Limbs of Yoga. It is not a cautionary tale of what could go wrong if we let our Ego be overcome by the powers of Siddhi as in Book III. And, though it will hearken back to the original explanation of the quest for Samãdhi in Book I, where we began, it shall move even further beyond...
One of the oft-quoted definitions of Yoga is from the Bhagavad Gita in 2.50 with the phrase: yogah karmasu kaushalam, or Yoga is skill in actions. A common crossover, and related, phrase that we also see in Zen is upaya kaushalya, or skillful/expedient means. Up to this point, we have been encountering a mixture of these two concepts on the path of Yoga, as being a sort of skillful means to navigate through actions. Now, however, it is time to see where that has led us with respect to avidyã, or ignorance, and the relationship to duhkham, or suffering, which from YS 2.16, we saw was the purpose of Yoga: to avoid suffering that has not yet manifested/happened.
In other words, what have we learned?
One of the words that has been coming up quite often and its importance being made more each time is the concept of parinãma, or change/evolution/transformation.
Why is this so important to our Yoga path? Simply put, without change, without an evolution of thinking from experience or without a transformation from what we were when we began, then nothing has happened. Or worse, we have been given vidyã, and yet we choose avidyã. In Book VI of Plato's Republic, there is the story that has generally become known as "The Allegory of the Cave."
It tells the story of our condition as being shackled to benches in a cave, with our backs to the opening of the cave. By way of the light source behind us, shadows of figures are cast upon the wall in front of us, with everyone believing, "this is reality." However, one prisoner escapes, crawls out of the cave and "sees the true Light" and is literally blinded for a while. When his sight returns, he is in awe of the Beauty he now see for the first time. He goes back to share this wonderful gift to his fellow prisoners of the cave. They promptly think him mad, and are annoyed that he disturbs their mindless and false entertainment of the shadows dancing on the wall. So, they do what we always do to those who wish to share vidyã to our avidyã. They kill him.
The Yoga Sutras, likewise, are offering a key to the shackles. And yet, in the name of "Yoga" so many people shun the hard work, the abhyãsa in favor of bumper-stickers turn it into a multi-billion dollar network, all the while apparently being oh-so appalled at those who dare to make money off of Yoga as it is not "real Yoga." And, yet, what is the "real" Yoga that they speak of? I wonder.
But, all in good time.
We begin with Book IV as we begin our end. It begins, however, a bit bumpy with some curiosities before we get back on track so to speak.
4.1 concludes the discussion of the Siddhis gained by various samyamas from Book III with a list of possible ways to obtain them:
janmaushadhi-mantra-tapah-samãdhijãh siddhayah 4.1
Or,
Siddhis are born from birth, herbal tonics, acts of austerity and samãdhi. 4.1
Although it is very straight forward, with no real room for further interpretation, it is odd that Book III was all about the relationship between samyama and siddhi, then we have 4.1, and these causes are not discussed further in any details. So, personally, 4.1 sticks out a bit like a sore thumb for me.
So, with that, we might move along to 4.2:
jãtyantara-parinãmah prakrityãpUrãt 4.2
Or,
Because of the abundance of Nature/Prakriti, there is an evolution/transformation in births. 4.2
There are a variety of interpretations for this sutra, but I am inclined to go with the concept that because of the abundance of Nature, there is diversity in Life...makes sense. More or less Darwin's theory of evolution (parinãma) in a Yogic nutshell. As we saw in Book III, parinãma is the essence of growth for the Yogi/ni as well. Without that evolution or transformation, there is no progress.
Moving onto 4.3, we arrive at an extended metaphor that is usually explained in terms of agricultural irrigation:
nimittam-aprayojakam prakritInãm varna-bhedas-tu tatah kshetrivat 4.3
Giving us,
Causality is ultimately non-useful, for natural modalities [parinãma/evolution/transformation]; as such, as a farmer irrigates a field, impediments are cut away.
The general analogy here is lost on modern ears, so it is best to defer to the commentaries about this metaphor. In traditional agriculture, the farmer would have little sluices/trenches in the ground and would move the earth to re-channel the water. Here, Patañjali is saying that ultimately the efficient cause of things is irrelevant because in the end, the obstacles must be cleared, which is again, the goal of Yoga here. There is cause and effect in the physical world, that is not to be denied, but what the Yogi/ni is moving towards is the free-flowing of the mind, devoid of the cluttering of obstacles caused by a-vidyã.
And, moving on, we arrive at:
nirmãna-cittãnyasmitã-mãtrãt 4.4
Or,
Transforming thoughts are solely the product of the Ego. 4.4
In other words, the sense of being "I" is what causes the perception of change. It is the first division of the mind, separating "I" from "everything else" and from there, one perceives change in Time and Space, whereas without that construct, there are no divisions as we shall see later in the chapter. The situational irony at hand is that kaivalya is the movement back to singularity, the all-encompassing "I" with no separation, but it is that very "I" that causes the separation, but also what is the Seer who must transcend itself...it is the Ouroboros of consciousness, the snake which swallows its own tail and ultimately disappears...
And, so, we move along to find out how, step by step.
pravritti-bhede prayojakam cittam-ekam-anekanãm 4.5
Giving us,
A single, necessary consciousness exists in the immanent division of [conceived] pluralities. 4.5
Here we begin our journey to catch the Bull as we see in the 10 Bulls story of Zen. The "Bull" is the Self or consciousness that one needs to catch and tame; but that is the illusion. The Bull was never lost, never not one with the boy. And, in the end, they are both transcended, which is then, and only then, the true singular consciousness, the kaivalya.
And, then,
tatra dhyãna-jam-anãshayam 4.6
As such, the freedom from karmic stock is born from intense concentration. 4.6
Dhyãna, then, the root of the word Zen itself as well, is the means towards the solution. What binds us to our prejudices and false perceptions is karma, or the deeds of our Past. Again, karma is neither good, nor bad, but it just is. Our Past simply is, but, it is the baggage the prohibits our freedom from a-vidyã... Dhyãna, the core element of the samyama that we learned about at length in Book III is again just the means, not the solution itself. For that, we need to go further...
To be continued...
Book IV will bring us challenges to be sure. The nominal title given to this Book is Kaivalya, which as we have seen means: to be utterly alone; a singularity. However, this singularity is no less than the pinnacle of self-awareness, the goal of Yoga, which is why we began this journey. Book IV is no longer a road map as we have seen in Book II with the introduction of the 8 Limbs of Yoga. It is not a cautionary tale of what could go wrong if we let our Ego be overcome by the powers of Siddhi as in Book III. And, though it will hearken back to the original explanation of the quest for Samãdhi in Book I, where we began, it shall move even further beyond...
One of the oft-quoted definitions of Yoga is from the Bhagavad Gita in 2.50 with the phrase: yogah karmasu kaushalam, or Yoga is skill in actions. A common crossover, and related, phrase that we also see in Zen is upaya kaushalya, or skillful/expedient means. Up to this point, we have been encountering a mixture of these two concepts on the path of Yoga, as being a sort of skillful means to navigate through actions. Now, however, it is time to see where that has led us with respect to avidyã, or ignorance, and the relationship to duhkham, or suffering, which from YS 2.16, we saw was the purpose of Yoga: to avoid suffering that has not yet manifested/happened.
In other words, what have we learned?
One of the words that has been coming up quite often and its importance being made more each time is the concept of parinãma, or change/evolution/transformation.
Why is this so important to our Yoga path? Simply put, without change, without an evolution of thinking from experience or without a transformation from what we were when we began, then nothing has happened. Or worse, we have been given vidyã, and yet we choose avidyã. In Book VI of Plato's Republic, there is the story that has generally become known as "The Allegory of the Cave."
It tells the story of our condition as being shackled to benches in a cave, with our backs to the opening of the cave. By way of the light source behind us, shadows of figures are cast upon the wall in front of us, with everyone believing, "this is reality." However, one prisoner escapes, crawls out of the cave and "sees the true Light" and is literally blinded for a while. When his sight returns, he is in awe of the Beauty he now see for the first time. He goes back to share this wonderful gift to his fellow prisoners of the cave. They promptly think him mad, and are annoyed that he disturbs their mindless and false entertainment of the shadows dancing on the wall. So, they do what we always do to those who wish to share vidyã to our avidyã. They kill him.
The Yoga Sutras, likewise, are offering a key to the shackles. And yet, in the name of "Yoga" so many people shun the hard work, the abhyãsa in favor of bumper-stickers turn it into a multi-billion dollar network, all the while apparently being oh-so appalled at those who dare to make money off of Yoga as it is not "real Yoga." And, yet, what is the "real" Yoga that they speak of? I wonder.
But, all in good time.
We begin with Book IV as we begin our end. It begins, however, a bit bumpy with some curiosities before we get back on track so to speak.
4.1 concludes the discussion of the Siddhis gained by various samyamas from Book III with a list of possible ways to obtain them:
janmaushadhi-mantra-tapah-samãdhijãh siddhayah 4.1
Or,
Siddhis are born from birth, herbal tonics, acts of austerity and samãdhi. 4.1
Although it is very straight forward, with no real room for further interpretation, it is odd that Book III was all about the relationship between samyama and siddhi, then we have 4.1, and these causes are not discussed further in any details. So, personally, 4.1 sticks out a bit like a sore thumb for me.
So, with that, we might move along to 4.2:
jãtyantara-parinãmah prakrityãpUrãt 4.2
Or,
Because of the abundance of Nature/Prakriti, there is an evolution/transformation in births. 4.2
There are a variety of interpretations for this sutra, but I am inclined to go with the concept that because of the abundance of Nature, there is diversity in Life...makes sense. More or less Darwin's theory of evolution (parinãma) in a Yogic nutshell. As we saw in Book III, parinãma is the essence of growth for the Yogi/ni as well. Without that evolution or transformation, there is no progress.
Moving onto 4.3, we arrive at an extended metaphor that is usually explained in terms of agricultural irrigation:
nimittam-aprayojakam prakritInãm varna-bhedas-tu tatah kshetrivat 4.3
Giving us,
Causality is ultimately non-useful, for natural modalities [parinãma/evolution/transformation]; as such, as a farmer irrigates a field, impediments are cut away.
The general analogy here is lost on modern ears, so it is best to defer to the commentaries about this metaphor. In traditional agriculture, the farmer would have little sluices/trenches in the ground and would move the earth to re-channel the water. Here, Patañjali is saying that ultimately the efficient cause of things is irrelevant because in the end, the obstacles must be cleared, which is again, the goal of Yoga here. There is cause and effect in the physical world, that is not to be denied, but what the Yogi/ni is moving towards is the free-flowing of the mind, devoid of the cluttering of obstacles caused by a-vidyã.
And, moving on, we arrive at:
nirmãna-cittãnyasmitã-mãtrãt 4.4
Or,
Transforming thoughts are solely the product of the Ego. 4.4
In other words, the sense of being "I" is what causes the perception of change. It is the first division of the mind, separating "I" from "everything else" and from there, one perceives change in Time and Space, whereas without that construct, there are no divisions as we shall see later in the chapter. The situational irony at hand is that kaivalya is the movement back to singularity, the all-encompassing "I" with no separation, but it is that very "I" that causes the separation, but also what is the Seer who must transcend itself...it is the Ouroboros of consciousness, the snake which swallows its own tail and ultimately disappears...
And, so, we move along to find out how, step by step.
pravritti-bhede prayojakam cittam-ekam-anekanãm 4.5
Giving us,
A single, necessary consciousness exists in the immanent division of [conceived] pluralities. 4.5
Here we begin our journey to catch the Bull as we see in the 10 Bulls story of Zen. The "Bull" is the Self or consciousness that one needs to catch and tame; but that is the illusion. The Bull was never lost, never not one with the boy. And, in the end, they are both transcended, which is then, and only then, the true singular consciousness, the kaivalya.
And, then,
tatra dhyãna-jam-anãshayam 4.6
As such, the freedom from karmic stock is born from intense concentration. 4.6
Dhyãna, then, the root of the word Zen itself as well, is the means towards the solution. What binds us to our prejudices and false perceptions is karma, or the deeds of our Past. Again, karma is neither good, nor bad, but it just is. Our Past simply is, but, it is the baggage the prohibits our freedom from a-vidyã... Dhyãna, the core element of the samyama that we learned about at length in Book III is again just the means, not the solution itself. For that, we need to go further...
To be continued...
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