Showing posts with label dharma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dharma. Show all posts
Monday, September 17, 2018
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Yoga is... (Yoga Sutras 4.27-34)... The End
I only know one thing...and that is that I know No-thing...
One of the things that made the Athenians mad enough to condemn Socrates to death is his inadvertent bringing God to be his witness at his trial. Let God, and in this case, Apollo, be my witness to testify that "I am not a wise man," Socrates says in so many words, causing a ruckus in the courtroom to say the least.
In Plato's Apology (which literally means a "defense") of Socrates, the accused relates the story of how once Chaerephon, a fellow Athenian, went to the Oracle at Delphi and asked her who is the wisest man in Athens? The answer was that no-one was wiser than Socrates, with the emphasis on not saying that Socrates was wisest, but that no one was wiser. Socrates took this challenge to heart and went around Athens trying to find someone wiser, or for that matter, who truly knew anything at all. His conclusion was that everyone claims to "know" something, but in reality, we do not really know and nobody had true wisdom as such. And, since Socrates never claimed to know anything, rather, as above, he claimed that the only thing he did know was that he did not know anything...(That is, by the way, Socratic irony par excellence), which means at least he was not a hypocrite about being wise. The Athenians were not amused and sentenced him to death.
We are approaching that sentiment very quickly in the closure of Patañjali's Yoga Sutras as we shall see momentarily. Similar, but different; different, yet similar.
In 4.26, we arrived at the state of mind in which one needs to be in to engage with the ultimate concept of Yoga, Kaivalya, and that mind is one that is fully attuned to the process of discernment and discrimination, that is viveka. Viveka is the path of conscious decisions and processing of information, having shed the veils of a-vidya and the fog of samskãras so that one can see things as they are and not how we want them to be, which are often dramatically different things.
So, the stage is set, the well is primed, and the mind is engaged in viveka, however, we are human after all, as 4.27 reminds us:
tac-chidreshu pratyaya-antarãni samskãrebhyah 4.27
or,
Other ideas/concepts/perceptions arise from the samskãras within the lapses (of the viveka-mind). 4.27
In other words, to paraphrase Horace's lament (via Pope), even Homer nods...When the mind is not fully engaged then we relapse into the perceptions and prejudices governed by the samskãras, or mental impressions. So, at times, we shall all fall back into old habits, and from that comes indiscretion and avidyã rears its ugly head.
4.28, however, reminds us that there is a remedy:
hãnam-eshãm kleshavad-uktam 4.28
The extinction/cessation of these lapses have already been spoken of, as with the kleshas. 4.28
Here, Patañjali reminds us of YS II.10-11 which tells us that when the mind is back in its original state (pre-tainted by samskãras and avidyã), then the kleshas are eliminated, and dhyãna is the key to that return. To return to those highly important sutras, that is when we learn that avidyã is the root of all kleshas, or obstacles to our Yogic path, and consequently the source of our suffering, or duhkham. And, it is at that point that Patañjali provides the 8-limb program, which culminates in the samyama of dhãranã-dhyãna-samãdhi, about which is the focus of Book III.
The lynchpin of the samyama triad, namely dhyãna, or intensive, focused meditation, is once again the answer to ridding ourselves of the kleshas, clearing out the storehouse of karma (YS 4.6), and now also the lapses in our discretion. But, once again, this is not mere navel-gazing, for as we also have seen, that leads to an infinite loop, which leads us nowhere.
Rather, it is intensive, focused meditation on the fact that the Seer (I) and the Seen (thou) are not separate. To see that in everything, at all times then is Kaivalya. Blake's oft-quoted quatrain from "Auguries of Innocence" comes to mind:
To see the World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the Palm of your Hand,
And Eternity in an Hour...
One of the things that made the Athenians mad enough to condemn Socrates to death is his inadvertent bringing God to be his witness at his trial. Let God, and in this case, Apollo, be my witness to testify that "I am not a wise man," Socrates says in so many words, causing a ruckus in the courtroom to say the least.
In Plato's Apology (which literally means a "defense") of Socrates, the accused relates the story of how once Chaerephon, a fellow Athenian, went to the Oracle at Delphi and asked her who is the wisest man in Athens? The answer was that no-one was wiser than Socrates, with the emphasis on not saying that Socrates was wisest, but that no one was wiser. Socrates took this challenge to heart and went around Athens trying to find someone wiser, or for that matter, who truly knew anything at all. His conclusion was that everyone claims to "know" something, but in reality, we do not really know and nobody had true wisdom as such. And, since Socrates never claimed to know anything, rather, as above, he claimed that the only thing he did know was that he did not know anything...(That is, by the way, Socratic irony par excellence), which means at least he was not a hypocrite about being wise. The Athenians were not amused and sentenced him to death.
We are approaching that sentiment very quickly in the closure of Patañjali's Yoga Sutras as we shall see momentarily. Similar, but different; different, yet similar.
In 4.26, we arrived at the state of mind in which one needs to be in to engage with the ultimate concept of Yoga, Kaivalya, and that mind is one that is fully attuned to the process of discernment and discrimination, that is viveka. Viveka is the path of conscious decisions and processing of information, having shed the veils of a-vidya and the fog of samskãras so that one can see things as they are and not how we want them to be, which are often dramatically different things.
So, the stage is set, the well is primed, and the mind is engaged in viveka, however, we are human after all, as 4.27 reminds us:
tac-chidreshu pratyaya-antarãni samskãrebhyah 4.27
or,
Other ideas/concepts/perceptions arise from the samskãras within the lapses (of the viveka-mind). 4.27
In other words, to paraphrase Horace's lament (via Pope), even Homer nods...When the mind is not fully engaged then we relapse into the perceptions and prejudices governed by the samskãras, or mental impressions. So, at times, we shall all fall back into old habits, and from that comes indiscretion and avidyã rears its ugly head.
4.28, however, reminds us that there is a remedy:
hãnam-eshãm kleshavad-uktam 4.28
The extinction/cessation of these lapses have already been spoken of, as with the kleshas. 4.28
Here, Patañjali reminds us of YS II.10-11 which tells us that when the mind is back in its original state (pre-tainted by samskãras and avidyã), then the kleshas are eliminated, and dhyãna is the key to that return. To return to those highly important sutras, that is when we learn that avidyã is the root of all kleshas, or obstacles to our Yogic path, and consequently the source of our suffering, or duhkham. And, it is at that point that Patañjali provides the 8-limb program, which culminates in the samyama of dhãranã-dhyãna-samãdhi, about which is the focus of Book III.
The lynchpin of the samyama triad, namely dhyãna, or intensive, focused meditation, is once again the answer to ridding ourselves of the kleshas, clearing out the storehouse of karma (YS 4.6), and now also the lapses in our discretion. But, once again, this is not mere navel-gazing, for as we also have seen, that leads to an infinite loop, which leads us nowhere.
Rather, it is intensive, focused meditation on the fact that the Seer (I) and the Seen (thou) are not separate. To see that in everything, at all times then is Kaivalya. Blake's oft-quoted quatrain from "Auguries of Innocence" comes to mind:
To see the World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the Palm of your Hand,
And Eternity in an Hour...
This is the vision, the discretion that Kaivalya requires through dhyãna. It is the conscious awareness that leads to letting go of the dualities to arrive at the ultimate singularity.
We continue then with 4.29-30 which introduces us to the most curious phrase in all of the sutras:
prasamkhyãne'apyakusIdasya sarvathã viveka-khyãter-dharma-meghah samãdhih 4.29
tatah kleshakarmanivrittih 4.30
Giving us,
The "dharma-cloud" of samãdhi comes for the one whom is even disinterested/dispassionate about the constant perception of viveka. 4.29
Then, the kleshas and karma (or karmic affliction) are released. 4.30
Or, read slightly differently together:
The samãdhi (total integration/synthesis of Yoga) of the dharma-megha (dharma-cloud) comes about for one who is utterly free of attachment, even from the process of viveka and then, the affliction of karma is released. 4.29-30
The dharma-megha, or Dharma-cloud, then is a curious entity that does not appear anywhere else in Sanskrit philosophy, but is vaguely Buddhist in context...treading the Dhamma-pada, or path of Dharma is the highest order of enlightenment for the jivan-mukti, or one who is released in this life-time. None of the commentators actually know what the dharma-megha is, so I am not going to speculate further than the visual of one being fully enraptured by Dharma, meaning, one who has found his or her Dharma in life via the path of Yoga and then lives it, rather than just talks about it. The samãdhi, or total integration and synthesis then of Yoga is now at hand.
The dharma-megha also sounds similar, yet different to the mystical Christian concept of "The cloude of unknowyng" or "The Cloud of Unknowing," a chiefly medieval concept (via Neo-Platonists...) that to know God, to truly know God, means to let go of everything one knows...to forget in order to remember. The Greek concept of Truth as well is a-letheia, or un-forgetting in order to remember what we have lost, looking at the Universe for what it is, not what we make it. The veil of illusion, of Mãya, or demonic magic that the Buddha overcomes is none other than the human constructs and concepts and prejudices that we build up for ourselves and promote as "truths," yet as Socrates found, they are not wisdom, but merely opinions.
And so, for the Yogi/ni, the dharma-cloud engulfs and enshrouds, but does not blind nor veil, but reveals, apo-kalyptestai...
tadã sarvãvarana-mala-ãpetasya jñãnasyãdantyãjñeyam-alam 4.31
or,
Then, from the infinity from the result of the maladies of concealments have been removed, there is little to be known. 4.31
In other words, when we know longer seek to know by reason, and have fully integrated the Dharma, there is nothing much to be known. In other words, when the Dharma is known, and one walks the walk, there is nothing really more to know. However, it is then a continuous process of integrity, not an easy path. But, as Mark Twain is attributed to have said once, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." Here, if you live the Dharma, you don't need to know anything...Sounds easy, living it is another thing all together.
4.32 continues:
tatah kritãrthãnãm parinãma-krama-parisamãptir-gunãnãm 4.32
or,
From this, with their purposes now fulfilled, the sequence of permutations of the gunas comes to an end. 4.32
Echoing the Bhagavad Gita of Krishna's directive to Arjuna to eventually transcend the gunas, because Krishna is beyond the gunas, and Krishna is the Universe, when the Dharma-megha reigns supreme in the Yogi/ni's life, the gunas are irrelevant as they have served their purpose for the mundane, but now they are inconsequential.
And so, we come to the End with 4.33-34:
kshana-pratiyogI parinãmãparãnta-nirgrãhyah kramah 4.33
purushãrtha-shUnyãnãm gunãnãm pratiprasavah kaivalyam svarupa-pratishthã vã cit-shaktir-iti 4.34
Giving us,
The sequence (of permutations) is grasped at the extreme end of change, which corresponds to small increments of Time. 4.33
Ending with:
Kaivalya, the ultimate singularity of liberation, the returning to the original state of the gunas, devoid of all purpose for Purusha, is steadfast in one's own nature, known as the power of consciousness. 4.34
When there exists illusion of the separation between the Seer and the Seen (YS 3-4), this begins a series of perceived changes (parinãma) that are linked by infinitely small increments of Time (kshana), which causes the gunas to hold sway over our Self/Atman/Purusha because of the power of avidyã. Following the path of Yoga as has been laid out by Patañjali, these increments of Time no longer exist as in the state of Kaivalya, the Seer and the Seen are united (as they were never separate in reality) and the svarupa, or true form of our Selves is experienced by the samãdhi of the Dharma-megha, or the power of consciousness as true awareness...and the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind-stuff then happens.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Journey to the East (Yoga Sutras 3.14-16)
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...
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Book 'Em Danno, Books I and II of Patañjali's Yoga Sutras, Translation and Commentary
Patañjali's Yoga Sutras: Translations and Commentary
Want Samãdhi to Love, Book I: Samãdhi
Stairway to Heaven, Book II :Sãdhanã
Want Samãdhi to Love, Book I: Samãdhi
Stairway to Heaven, Book II :Sãdhanã
Saturday, February 24, 2018
The Dis-ease of Life (YS 2.16)
I am a teacher, that is my Dharma.
Today, I was teaching Patañjali's Yoga Sutras for the Antwerp Yoga Teacher Training program, a program that I was a graduate of a few years ago. I have read the Sutras over the years, with varying levels of success and failures, tending towards the latter as they just didn't make that much sense. It felt like an obligation more than anything else. If I were to be an Instructor of Yoga, much less one who also teaches the philosophical and literary texts of Yoga, then of course, I needed to read the Sutras, right?
Not so clear.
The Sutras present numerous obstacles for a reader, both experienced and novice. For starters, as they are written as "sutras", the grammar is by and large absent, which in Sanskrit can leave a great deal of room for interpretation and a variety of translations styles. However, many of the translations I have come across do not remotely stick to the Sanskrit, but rather devolve into modern-day lip service for Western Yoga.
The Sutras were indeed written a long time ago (in a galaxy...no, not going there) by a man in India who had the luxury to spend the days meditating. Ultimately, that is the gist of the Sutras, meditation over a long period of time and regularly can set you free (moksha). But, to read them as such would be a grave mistake.
As we discovered today, the Yoga Sutras could have been written yesterday. They are highly pertinent once you get past the archaic translations and the bugaboo of the word "philosophy". They are simply put, good advice on life and how to live it. I will be devoting many posts to the breakdown of the Sutras in the near future, but I want to pause on what I consider to be the most important Sutra of them all, namely II.16.
Heyam duhkham anãgatam.
Three simple words.
Three words that are at the root of the human condition. Three words, that when taken to heart can change one's life. However, it is a hard lesson to learn.
In short, the translation is:
Suffering (that has yet to manifest) ought to be averted.
or
The suffering that has not yet happened is to be avoided.
When reading the Sutras, one realizes this is the crux of the entire text. Suffering (duhkham) that is caused by ignorance (avidyã) is our life's dis-ease. Suffering can lead to disease as well as the dis-ease of wondering what our purpose, our Dharma, in life is. Why are we here? What are we supposed to be doing?
The Sutras are merely a road map for that journey. We begin now (atha) in order to find out what our true Self is, and its power (citi-shaktih). From beginning to end, the Sutras give us tools to address this suffering and ultimately how we can mitigate it within our lives.
Sounds easy enough, but it is a tall order, and even with the best tool kit in town, we can still fall, we can falter, and we can fail. And, we get back up again, and give it another go, equipped with the one thing that can help diminish the ravages of avidyã, awareness.
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