The hidden truth of yoga 3

PART THREEPART THREE

The modern practice of

Yoga:

The fully perfected yogi can be The fully perfected yogi can be known by just three qualities:known by just three qualities:

• Sat – eternal: having a body of that is non-material (pure consciousness and can never be touched by death

• Chit – being full in knowledge (not omniscient, but in no ways lacking understanding)

• Ananda – spontaneously in bliss, where joy is consistently novel

The nearly perfected yogi can be The nearly perfected yogi can be recognized by 18 qualities:recognized by 18 qualities:

1. Non-materialistic2. Kind 3. Expert 4. God conscious5. Humble6. Grounded 7. Spiritually strong willed8. Compassionate 9. Heroic,

The nearly perfected yogi can be The nearly perfected yogi can be recognized by 18 qualities:recognized by 18 qualities:

18 yogic qualities (cont:)10. Resilience,11. Calm 12. Beautiful 13. Truthful 14. Cleanliness 15. Famous, 16. Respect for guru 17. Radiant, enthusiastic 18. And having good digestion

The essential practice of yogaThe essential practice of yoga

consists of practicing four virtues…• mercy• respectability• truthfulness• sobriety (a meditative/controlled mind)

and fulfilling the preparatory practices of either mystic or bhakti yoga while awaiting the grace of the guru.

Mystic yogaMystic yogaThe preparatory practice consists of:

• sitting still, • extensively regulating the breath, and • withdrawing from almost any contact with the sensory world

This path, since it involves removing all modifications and qualities of Consciousness, is referred to as the nivritti marg (vritti=qualification, ni=removal, marg=path). The technique utilized for this is called Kundalini Yoga.

It is extraordinarily difficult, and consumes one's entire life. The ability to function in ordinary circumstances is lost at times, crises occur which may endanger the practitioner's life and sanity, and ultimately the ego is annihilated. Absolute celibacy is required, as well as a life of austerity and seclusion. Statistically speaking, the chances of successfully completing this path are very small.

Obviously, it is a rare individual who even wishes to attempt this endeavor.

Mystic yogaMystic yogaThe preparatory practice (cont):

• The alternative to this is the “incomplete path” or pravritti marga – which is typical of what is being practiced in current yoga circles

• “Instead of completely surrendering the will to prana, the individual can consciously ascertain which activities are most conducive to evolution, and apply the will towards their performance. The ego is not dissolved in this path, and evolution occurs at a more tolerable level. This approach enables the practitioner to manifest his or her unique talents and callings in the realm of society and relationships, without having to withdraw.” k

• This will not fundamentally alter the psychology of the individual and will not have the sought after rehabilitation of the ecology of virtue

Bhakti yogaBhakti yoga

The preparatory practice consists of-• hearing spiritual instruction, • Chanting mantras, • remembering stories (about the names,

forms, qualities, and activities of God) • rendering practical service to God and

his and her authorized agents (vaisnava,)

• worshiping the Deity form of God, and • prayer,

There are instances in history of great personalities, including sages and kings, who attained perfection by this process.

1. Emperor Parékñit attained the spiritual platform simply by hearing from such an authority as Çré Çukadeva Gosvämé.

2. Çré Çukadeva Gosvämé attained the same simply by recitation, verbatim, of the transcendental message which he received from his great father, Çré Vyäsadeva.

3. Emperor Prahläda attained spiritual success by remembering the Lord constantly, in pursuance of instructions given by Çré Närada Muni, the great saint and devotee.

4. Lakñméjé, the goddess of fortune, attained success simply by sitting and serving the lotus feet of the Lord.

5. King Påthu attained success simply by worshiping the Lord. 6. Akrüra, the charioteer, attained success simply by chanting

prayers for the Lord. 7. Hanumän (Mahävéra), the famous nonhuman devotee of Lord

Çré Rämacandra, attained success simply by carrying out the orders of the Lord.

8. Arjuna, the great warrior, attained the same perfection simply by making friends with the Lord, who delivered the message of Bhagavad-gétä to enlighten Arjuna and his followers.

9. Emperor Bali attained success by surrendering everything unto the Lord, including his personal body.

These are nine standard modes of devotional service to the Lord, and a candidate can choose to adopt any one, two, three, four or all, however he likes. All the services rendered to the Absolute are in themselves absolute, with none of the quantitative or qualitative differences found on the material platform. On the spiritual platform everything is identical with everything else, although there is transcendental variety.

Yoga is psychologyYoga is psychology

Central to both preparatory practices is attaining cooperation of the mind.

In this sense all preparatory yoga is actually psychology.

Yoga psychologyYoga psychology

This brings us to a discussion on yoga psychology and sankyha yoga…

SummarySummary

Restate our assumptionsRestate our assumptions This world is a virtual reality Your mind is busy constructing your experience of

it To perceive the absolute reality you must go

beyond the playing field of the mind. The rules of the mind’s game are presided over

by the false ego The false ego is the ultimate opponent and

principal agent of the bureaucracy assigned to controlling your experience of ‘reality’. The vedas describe three ways of overcoming the false ego• (karma, jnana, and yoga)

Restate our assumptionsRestate our assumptions Yoga is twofold: mystic and bhakti Both paths share the goal of destroying the false

ego Mystic yoga is slow, painful, and dangerous Bhakti is faster, enjoyable, and dangerous Both yogas are characterized by a preparatory

stage and a spontaneous stage • (spontaneity depends on the support a qualified guru)

There are no authentic schools of mystic yoga extant in this age

There are authentic schools of bhakti but they should be carefully verified

Restate our assumptionsRestate our assumptions The influence of the dark age of kali is to increase

the power of the false ego so much as to make mastery of the mystic path nearly impossible

Underestimating the power of the false ego is the source of danger in both mystic and bhakti yoga.

Despite the absence of genuine schools of mystical yoga benefits can by derived from the preparatory practices.

Mystic vs. Bhakti yogaMystic vs. Bhakti yoga

Practice of bhakti does not pose the same drawbacks as preparatory mystic yoga because

• The inherent dependence dynamic of humility

• Even the preparatory stage can be considered as nivritti marga

Pravritti marga is incomplete yoga and is disparaged by the yoga acaryas

Mystic vs. Bhakti yogaMystic vs. Bhakti yoga Bhakti yoga provides speedier and more

efficient results than mystic yoga. (Through circumvention of time and space.)

• In mystic yoga journey and goal are separate

• “Master yogis who control the antimaterial particle within the material body by practice of mystic powers can give up their material bodies at will at a certain opportune moment and can thus enter the antimaterial worlds through a specific thoroughfare which connects the material and antimaterial worlds.”

• In bhakti yoga they are the same

Mystic vs. Bhakti yogaMystic vs. Bhakti yoga

This changes the rules of the game and destabilizes the false ego’s control: “A person acting in [bhakti] consciousness

works for the satisfaction of the whole, without self-interest. A God conscious person has no desire for self-satisfaction. His criterion of success is the satisfaction of God, and thus he is the perfect yogi.” Acbsp

Therefore…Therefore…

Keeping these injunctions in mind the preparatory practices of mystic yoga can be combined with the preparatory practices of bhakti yoga in order to create:

the modern yogithe modern yogi

Coming up…Coming up…

How to be a How to be a

modern yogimodern yogi