Yoga is the
intentional calming of all the binding, Self-limiting attachments of the citta (mind), which is our deepest place inside
the consciousness. It is not the attachment to the practice of Yoga or the
desire for liberation that brings progress on Yoga path. Instead, it is from
detachment and uninterest we progress in Yoga. Yoga is complete freedom. When the citta becomes free enough and the true
self is realized, then we live in Yoga.
There are two
types of knowledge: intuitive (divine) knowledge and acquired knowledge. What
is true knowledge? Sri Krishna Prem explains that true knowledge is found
within the Self and that knowledge gained from outside influences is not true
knowledge (Prem, 34). Divine knowledge cannot
be taught or acquired. It is the question and the answer that is already inside
a being. Books and words of others can guide to deeper understanding but it does
not take the place of divine knowledge.
The
physical and spiritual practice of Yoga is done by many to unveil the true
nature of the soul. The soul’s true nature is revealed after much work (tapas) has been done[1] and the austerities have been practiced to
work through the physical and energetic layers (koshas) of the individual to reach the layer of the true self (anandamaya kosha). This process of self
study (svadyaha) requires an initial
desire to know the Self.
In
the modern day, Yoga is a practice done by many people for many different
reasons. Most commonly it is preformed as a purely physical practice with no
spiritual motivation or perception of the existence of an immortal Self.
However, the more often one returns to their physical Yoga practice, the
processes of svadyaha begins without
their knowledge. The effects of Yoga are felt on a subtle level, and those
small changes in the mind, body, and soul are why people keep coming back to
Yoga (whether they know it or not). As more work is done, more space is made,
and slowly the koshas begin to reveal
themselves.
This work is deep.
In the physical body it can be foreign and scary, and the deeper into the body
it goes, the vaster it becomes. So teachers are sought out. “The work of any
real teacher is to bring to birth that which already exists within” (Prem,
34). In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna explains aspects of the universe to Arjuna.
His lessons force Arjuna to look within and think about his actions. Krishna
never tells Arjuna to fight or not fight, he simply explains the cosmic of
effects of his actions. Arjuna takes Krishna’s advice and looks within with to
find the answer. If Krishna was to just give Arjuna the answer, Arjuna would
have blindly followed the advice. Blind belief is not the path to the Self.
Understood knowledge is. The soul must realize and understand the question and
the answer in order to Know.
It is continual
practice that leads to freedom, not lessons from teachers. Teachers are merely
vehicles on this quest; the journey belongs to the seeker. Svadyaha is the only way to truly know the Self, and that is a
commitment of many lifetimes. The divine within us all wants the Yoga, but it
is not all of us who will answer that call.
[1]
This “work” consists of practicing Patanjali’s 8 Limbs of Yoga.
Source:
The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna Prem ___________________________________
Sitting on a soft seat, Or lying on your mat, Experience the space below As offering no support.
You are simply suspended, Floating in space.
Structures of the mind release, The reservoir of habits dissolves. In an instant, lifetimes of patterns Vanish.
-vijnana bhairava tantra (Lorin Roche)
Monday, July 9, 2012
Inhale. Take a drink of infinity. Breathe in the radiant beauty of this very moment in which you exist. Exhale. Pull love into the depths of your soul. Inhale. Invite it deep into the core of your being. Exhale. Surrender to that which you are called.
We live in a universe of limitless possibilities. Everything
and anything we could want, desire, or imagine is available to us. But it first
must be created. In order for these desires to manifest into the material
reality, action must be taken. Without action/growth/movement there is no
possibility of creation. The layers of our universe contain vibrations. We are all in a
constant state of vibration, and so is everything around us. There is an
optimum range of vibration in everything called resonance. From a vibration of sound it all began and through sound it will continue to be created. It, being existence as we know it.
Hymn 10.71 of The Rgveda titled: "Jana Suktah" explains the origin of language. It through our vocal vibrations we send messages to the universe. What you say comes back to you, this ties into the idea of mantra. What the Jana Suktah explains is that before there was language, there was sound. Vibrations within us (lam/vam/ram/yam/ham/om), the sounds/vibrations made by animals. There is also a belief that OM was the first sound of creation. The potential for the ideas were available before sound attached to meaning and became language. When the hidden knowledge came to surface is when meaning became necessary.
What about before meaning, was knowledge already known or was it only discovered with sound? The was the Rgveda came out of the Rishis as escatic musical chants indicates that the knowledge was already inside their hearts.
Our 5th Chakra (Vishuda) deals with communication. If everything is vibration then moving through the layers of the Vedic universe, it would make sense that that after moving through layers (chakras) 1-4, the knowledge being downloaded to these Seven Rishis would manifest itself as speech when they reached the 5th layer. Energies manifesting through the lower chakras are evident in ancient Vedic culture though their divine universal love and ritualistic practices involving fire, chanting, and sacrifice. To ecstatically chant this knowledge is the culmination of a great deal of inner reflection and understanding, as well as an endless love of the eternal universe.
