On Re-establishing the
Unity With
One’s Own Higher and Spiritual
Nature
The Theosophical
Movement
Just
as an astronomer uses a telescope
to
gain knowledge of heavenly bodies, theosophists
use the mind and the body to obtain
Self-knowledge
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The following text was
first published at
“The Theosophical Movement” magazine,
Original title: “The Philosophy of Patanjali’s Yoga”.
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Wise is one who sees all experiences of
life as lessons for the soul in the School of Nature
The word “Yoga” draws the
attention of many. It is generally understood that it refers to bodily
postures, breathing exercises, breath control and meditation techniques. The
reasons for practice of “yoga,” assuming it to be nothing more than postures
and breathing exercises, are several. Good physical health, a certain calmness
of mind and reduction of stress, improving strength and stamina, are the few
common motives. In addition, some enthusiasts go further and desire to develop
psychic powers. The result is, we find many self-styled teachers and schools
catering to public demand.
Amidst these innumerable modern-age “teachers” and
claimants, each proposing various techniques and practices, a serious
consideration of the teachings of Sage Patanjali is of vital importance. Any
technique or practice of yoga, without understanding the fundamental ideas,
which are few in number, is as dangerous as the foolish experiments of the
novice in chemistry who lacks sound understanding of chemical substances, their
properties and interactions. Once we acquaint ourselves with the philosophy of
the ancients, we cannot but reach the conclusion that today’s popular
conception of “yoga” is a negation of the true Yoga inculcated by the sages.
First and foremost, the nature of man is to be
understood. The body, its senses and the brain are not the whole of man. They
are just the instruments of an inner, Real entity. Our body and brain have
undergone, and are constantly undergoing, innumerable changes since its birth.
Even our ideas and emotional nature are under constant change. However, there
is that identity, which is constant, unchanging through all changes, and
the Perceiver of the innumerable perceptions. When we look
back at our lives, we find that we have gone through myriads of changes,
physically, intellectually and emotionally. Nevertheless, there is a witness of
all the altering states of consciousness, Itself unaltered. This is our real
Self. Just as an astronomer uses telescope to gain knowledge of heavenly
bodies, we use mind, brain and body as instruments to come in contact with and
experience nature.
Now, viewing the subject in the light of these ideas
as to what is the real nature of man, and his relation with the body that is
transitory and impermanent, we find that any undertaking, which is a
preoccupation with merely the body and breath, is a journey in wrong direction.
Next, the characteristics of the mind are to be
understood. Mind, the “thinking principle”, is an instrument that is modified
by any subject or object that comes before it. It thus reflects to the soul the
qualities and characteristics of the subject/object, and enables the soul to
contact and experience nature. This involuntary modification is to be hindered,
and the process of hindering is known as yoga.
Yoga is not a set of techniques and breathing
exercises. When we recognize ourselves to be beyond mind and matter, and see
them both as our tools and implements, dispassion and the power to check the impulses
of the mind arises. The understanding of superiority of oneself over mind will
enable us to control, direct, and use the mind to accomplish the divine
purposes of life. “Dispassion, carried to the utmost, is indifference regarding
all else than soul, and this indifference arises from a knowledge of soul as
distinguished from all else”. (“Patanjali’s Yoga Aphorisms”, Theosophy Company,
Book I, Aphorism 16.)
Once this is achieved permanently, yoga (or union)
with the Imperishable Principle within us is accomplished. This practice has to
be striven for in the daily and hourly performance of duties.
The prime cause
of all suffering and distress is confounding the Real and subsisting part of us
with the transitory and perishable, so that we identify ourselves with our
body, mind and emotions. This confusion is Ignorance.
“Ignorance is the notion that the non-eternal, the
impure, the evil, and that which is not soul are, severally, eternal, pure,
good, and soul”. (“Patanjali’s Yoga Aphorisms”, Theosophy Co., Book II,
Aphorism 5.)
This misconception leads to wrongful acts, which will
inevitably bring about pain in the future. The opposite of Ignorance is
Spiritual Wisdom, i.e., the knowledge
of one’s identity with Spirit, and this knowledge is the end of all suffering.
The whole of universe, and everything contained in it,
exists for arousing the spiritual discrimination latent in us. The latent
powers of divinity in us can sprout, grow and bear fruits of knowledge only
when it has been sown in dense matter of body and its limitations; and by
contrasting experiences, learns to assert its freedom and reach self-knowledge.
“The Universe, including the visible and the
invisible, the essential nature of which is compounded of purity, action and
rest, and which consists of the elements and the organs of action exists for
the sake of the soul ’s experience and emancipation”. (“Patanjali’s Yoga
Aphorisms”, Book II, Aphorism 18.)
Wise is one who sees all experiences of life as
lessons for the soul in the School
of Nature
“It is even a portion of myself which, having assumed
life in this world of conditioned existence, draweth together the five senses
and the mind in order that it may obtain a body and may leave it again. And
those are carried by the Sovereign Lord to and from whatever body he enters or
quits, even as the breeze bears the fragrance from the flower.” (“Bhagavad
Gita”, Theosophy Co., Chapter XV.)
When we confuse ourselves to be the body or the mind,
and thus act under this misconception, we create causes that will hinder our
growth as spiritual beings. The seeds we have sown in the long past bear fruits
in terms of our opportunities in life, pleasure and pain, happiness and
suffering, good fortune and disasters.
“While that root of merit and demerit exists, there is
a fructification during each succeeding life upon earth in rank, years,
pleasure, or pain. Happiness or suffering results, as the fruit of merit and
demerit, accordingly as the cause is virtue or vice.” (“Patanjali’s Yoga Aphorisms”,
Book II, Aphorisms 13-14.)
This is fundamentally different from our present
understanding of life. The unquestioned assumption of today’s world is that we live
only once, that we are here only for enjoyment, so one must satisfy one’s
unrestrained desires at any cost! But we must understand that we are going to
come back again, to reap the fruits whose seeds we are now sowing. “A harsh
word uttered in past life is not destroyed, but ever comes again.” [1] Our present life, with its “fortunes”
and “misfortunes,” opportunities and hindrances, friends and foes, is the
making of ourselves. Also, our present actions and thoughts will determine our
future conditions.
Our true and real nature, therefore, must first be
understood. Like a spark from fire, a drop from ocean, Soul arises from
Universal Over-soul, and is essentially identical with it. Being essentially of
spiritual nature, and being in touch with material nature, each of us have a
choice to make: to choose and assert our inner divine nature by subjugating
matter, or give in to the turbulent animal nature, thus divorcing oneself from
Spirit. If our lower, material self takes the upper hand, it leads to
perdition. But, if we are able to control our passions and desires and succeed
in merging with the Divine Source we are able to reach a high spiritual state
known as Isolation. This state is one of faultless spiritual vision and
all-knowingness. There is a complete isolation from all illusions and delusions
of matter. This is the assigned purpose and final destiny of each of us.
The scientific process and means to attain this
Isolation, a complete union with one’s inner Divine nature, is true Yoga. The present
state of general mankind is such that mind and will are the slaves of desire.
Our job is to reverse this condition, and make free our mind and “will” from
the dominion of desire, and give them an altogether different direction,
towards our spiritual nature. The first two steps, out of the eightfold path of
Yoga (Ashtanga Yoga), are most important. These are, Forbearance (Yama) and
Religious Observances (Niyama). The sage explains them as follows:
“Forbearance consists in not killing, veracity, not
stealing, continence, and not coveting.” These, he mentions next, are not the duties
of just spiritual aspirants, but Universal Great Duties, to be practised by
everybody without exception! “These, without respect to rank, place, time, or
compact, are the universal great duties.” (“Patanjali’s Yoga Aphorisms”, Book
II, Aphorisms 30-31.)
Thus we find, when we carefully consider the words of
the Sage, that Yoga is a pre-eminently mental and moral effort, aimed at developing
one’s awareness of the Spirit within oneself. This has to be effected while
living in the body, amidst the din and noise of the world, all the while doing
every duty of life, whatever our station of life may be, without any
self-interest and as a sacrifice to the divinity within. “All actions performed
other than as sacrifice unto God [2]
make the actor bound by action. Abandon, then, O son of Kunti, all selfish motives,
and in action perform thy duty for him alone.” (“Bhagavad Gita”, Chapter III.)
NOTES:
[1] However, soft words are no bridge to heaven. In fact, false friendliness only creates
further suffering. A severe and honest criticism
is most valuable to those who are criticized. Hypocrisy, on its turn, creates an enduring bad karma to those who naively
indulge in its exercise. A critical sense is as necessary as sincerity
(“veracity”), in yoga and theosophy. (The
editors of www.TheosophyOnline.com.
)
[2] “God”. There is of course no monotheistic God whatsoever, either in, or
outside, our universe, except in the fertile imagination of professional priests, as the famous Letter
10, in “The Mahatma Letters”,
clarifies once and for all. The word “God”, then, if it has to be
accepted, must mean but the Universal Law, or the vast plurality
of kosmic and divine intelligences. According to the Mahatmas, however, the word
“God” in the singular form is an unfortunate misnomer; it misleads; it creates
confusion (Letter 10). (The editors
of www.TheosophyOnline.com.)
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