The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali contains a wealth of information
on the human psyche. Its simple sutures or threads present to the searching
mind perspectives about our whole psychological
make-up.
Understanding the threads and finding clues to one's own personal life pattern would render anyone with an open, and analytical bent of mind a plethora of ways to understand the inner workings not only of our body and mind but in many instances our soul. Of course, if one considers the existence of the soul.
My dear ones, unless we look into ourselves in quiet periods of contemplation we would not be able to cope the stress we develop on a day to day basis.
It is good that we have learnt to take care of our bodies, through vigorous and not so vigorous exercises, healthy eating habits, keeping away from narcotics and alcohol. So far so good.
We have to learn that our mind is not the effect of our physical brain but the brain is the physical organ through which the mind expresses itself in the three dimensional reality which we create.
Without digressing much on such matters I would like
to share
with you all, the gist of the Yoga Sutras.
The sutras being handed over to us orally, long before
the concept of the written form, may have certain lapses, yet on the whole
they present to us a way to know our inner workings.
We have become very adept in concealing our inner
nature through the masks of personality which we present to those we communicate
with.
How many times have we concealed our real thoughts on many issues and presented ourselves outwardly in a way which we felt would attract the attention and consideration of those around us.
With the turn of the century, we must and should grow as human beings first. We have, in the last hundred years , taken enormous leaps in science and technology. All these are indications of development and growth , no doubt.
But in the process, we are still attached to the old ways of manipulation, pride, annihilation of people through economics and abuse of power. Just ponder and let us ask ourselves if we as humans have progressed even an inch in our inner workings, than those who lived on the earth even two thousand years ago.
Unless we make an effort and sincere undertaking to serve humans as humans and not as commodities, we would not and cannot change for the better, even in the 21st century.
Well, my ideas keep pouring out from the Cosmos and now I must willingly put some walls to stop the flow and concentrate on the Sutras, the subject of today's topic. This would be ongoing as Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are written in four sections and each section has approximately 51,55,56 and 38 sutras.
The first section of 51 sutras deal ideas of concentration
and
super consciousness.
The whole object of the yoga psychology is enunciated
in the
very first sutra.
It defines the process of Yoga being, to make the
mind totally calm and steady, without the flowing
thoughts at random.
Rather it asks us to concentrate on one object, be
it external or internal and finally achieve at-one-ment with our object
of concentration.
This first sutra opens the door to our pandora's box of ideas and a host of other subjects related to both our inner and outer nature , in our minds. The ideas, the conditionings of our life give us perspectives, from which we build our own reality.
The question is that the reality so created, is it 'the Reality'.
Another aspect which is of paramount importance is that we are conscious. The energy or the power given us by the virtue of consciousness creates everything. Just imagine my dear ones, what a tremendous force, what a magnificent experience it would be if we knew our field of consciousness and applied it to work for us not only in the field of politics, economics, business and technological advancement but also to become more humane and to realize and act from that center of being truly a human being, in all aspects of life and living.
This is the objective of Yoga practice, nay the objective
of our human birth.
I would like to share what I spoke about Guru and
discipleship to a group of Western audience a while ago.
Truth never reveals itself to our minds as along as we remain in a state of consciousness which is primarily driven by our ego .
Our ego is the connecting link between our experiences in the outer world and our inner world.
When we are driven by our ego exclusively we are able to operate in the outer world with the help of our personality.
Our personalities are colored with our past experiences, as we approach the events in the now, and discerning the motives, and cause and effect. Our physical brain helps in guiding us through our course of action.
In the olden days there were teachers who were successful in the experiences of the inner world and remained secluded. They had given in to the Divine Will to such an extent that they used to pray to have inspiration to work in such a way that was beneficial not only to them but to those who came in contact with them.
After all we must never forget to test the person who may be accepted as a Guru inside out. We must not stop and become mesmerized in to believing whatever that Guru may say or do. We have all been given intelligence, wisdom, power of discernment, right of choice and the power of logically understanding the motives of the Guru.
Let us put that Guru in the acid test of our logic and understanding, if after such a test we find that what the guru is saying or doing and also the way of leading his personal life is in harmony of his personality-led speeches and actions. Then only we should try to emulate him for our spiritual growth and soul unfoldment.
In the purest sense a human guru who is able to tell your past, your present and the future could be a guru.
But for a guru to achieve that state of consciousness takes a lot of personal discipline and practice. Whose mind is anchored in the Divine most of the time of his lifetime. That guru will not beg for food shelter or clothing, rather these needs will be met by the divine.
In the Bhagavad Gita chapter 19 verse 22 Sri Krishna
states: Ananyas Chintayo Mam,
Ye janah paryupasate,
tesham nityabhi yuktanam,
yogakhsemam vahamyaham.
"Those who take refuge in Me alone, thinking of none but Me to these steadfast souls I provide all they need and preserve what they have."
Those souls who can relate to the Universal Source of all at all times can be taken as a Guru in the Human form. Otherwise, these days there is no dearth of pseudo gurus who claim to be a Swami , Maharishi or Mahatma and are elevated by the power of their following and the media to have occult and psychic powers. These pseudo gurus need to be accepted with a grain of salt.
People in their search of the real guru visit innumerable places and fall an easy prey due to their emotional difficulties and the wish to be enlightened at the press of a magic button, the so called Shaktipath and the like, are merely putting themselves in bondage.
We must remember that each individual soul is a ray of the Infinite. Each soul must go through its experiences as ordained by the subconscious inclinations of their minds and understand the Truth from the lesser truths. Through meditative contemplation one is bound to receive guidance from the Divine through their own mind and body, only if they could devote to such practices of self analysis and examination with objectivity. Being an observer of their own thoughts, emotions and actions and analyzing the why, what, how and when to their conditions would open doors for them for inner illumination.
We must remember at all times that we as souls are destined to be perfect, and every being in the end will and must attain the state of perfection.
The shaping of our own individual destinies does not preclude our receiving help from the outside. When that opportunity arrives the higher powers of our souls, higher possibilities of our inner nature to manifest itself become quickened. Our spiritual life is awakened and our growth becomes animated with the Love of All.
Can we receive this quickening impulse to our inner growth from books?
I would say books do help us understand the philosophies, the dynamics
of our life as they unfold, but in no way does it, or can it make us spiritual.
Through study of books we may become very intellectual, but in the
final analysis we find we have not developed at all in our spiritual life.
A higher order of intellectual development does not always go hand in hand with proportionate development of our spiritual side.
In studying books, we sometimes are deluded and we begin to believe that we are being helped spiritually.
If we analyze the effects of the study of books, we will find that our intellect has derived a host of profits, and our inner spirit has not gained a drop of the spiritual juice.
All around the world today we find that many inspirational and motivational speakers are able to speak wonderfully with conviction, and write volumes on spiritual matters. But when it comes to action and living a truly spiritual lifestyle we would find those same personalities awfully deficient. The reason being, they in most cases have not experienced their own Being but have spoken volumes on the nature of Being. How? Through study and assimilation of ideas of the those Maharishis and Mahatmas and the Great Masters who are no longer in the physical world.
These charismatic personalities have gained recognition in society not by the way of their spiritual lifestyle but how much they are able to regurgitate the results of their studying books. How much they able to mesmerize the media and the public into believing them as masters of spirituality.
The real spiritual people will not be able to lead an opulent lifestyle for themselves as they can feel the teeming millions suffering in the world. They are not seekers of name and fame nor personal wealth. Their sole objective will be to help people move forward and deeper in their spiritual unfoldment. They will be contented with whatever is provided by the Universe for their maintaining a healthy and spiritual lifestyle, with a roof over their heads and clothes to wear.
The proof of what I say, will be found in abundance if we try to
read the biographies or autobiographies of such spiritual giants of the
wide world over.
Who Should we Choose to be our Guru:
When we as embodied souls, being of the same nature as the Universal Soul, yet different in the degree of manifestation, try to become perfect we must emulate another embodied soul, living or passed away.
To quicken our spiritual unfoldment the quickening impulse must come from another soul.
The person from whom this impulse comes to us may be called "the guru".
The word Guru in Sanskrit means the medium, the person who has the loving power to enlighten our inner being in such a way that we become empowered to break the barriers of our ignorance and see the light through our own efforts. The purpose of the Guru is to show the directions to our spiritual unfoldment. The growth and development comes from our own efforts in walking our chosen path for the sake of attaining the same state of consciousness our Guru may have achieved following the path chosen.
Analyzing further we would understand that firstly:
The soul which is instrumental in giving adequate impulse to redirect and rethink our own spirituality must possess the power of transmission to another.
The seed must be a living seed and the field must be ready, ploughed. When both these conditions are met, what happens is the wonderful manifestations of genuine spirituality. When both the Guru and the disciple become live and fulfill the conditions of a living seed and the ploughed field, then only and only then will spiritual awakening result as the crop of the field and it would be bountiful. Such alone can be the real teachers and such alone can be the real spiritual aspirants. All the rest are merely playing with spirituality.
Most of us who claim to be spiritual aspirants, have a little spiritual curiosity awakened, and a little intellectual aspiration kindled, but in reality are merely standing at the outer fringes of the spiritual horizon.
It is no doubt that those who care to take the effort, can and will enter the field of spirituality proper, and gain immensely in their personal lives as they reap their bountiful harvest. It is not wrong to be curious about spirituality. An indeed the little spark of spirituality may in course of time result in the true awakening and having a real thirst for spirituality.
When we have that Thirst it needs to be attended to.
In nature we find that when the field is ready and ploughed well, seeds sowed in that field must produce the results provided moisture and the weather are conducive.
So also in our lives when we have ploughed our field of spirituality and we earnestly seek to know our spirit nature, the seeds or the teacher to transmit the spiritual force must appear to help us.
Secondly: Pitfalls in the search for a Guru.
The receiving soul may be emotionally upset and has developed the idea that a spiritual journey will alleviate the emotional turmoil.
To give an example: Some of our loved ones may have passed away suddenly. We receive an emotional blow.
We begin to feel the whole world slipping away from us and we feel the need of something permanent and higher. At the time we may feel a tremendous urge to become spiritual.
In a few days or weeks that remorse state of consciousness changes and passes away, and we are left stranded just where we were before.
Then we must understand that we mistook such impulses as true thirst for spirituality. So as long as these fleeting emotional hankering for spirituality remain, the actual craving of the soul for spirituality will never occur. Result : we do not attract that transmitter of true spirituality towards us.
How do know who the teacher is?
Let us look at Nature. Does the sun require another light to make itself visible to us? Experience tells us otherwise.
When the sun rises after dawn we become aware of it instinctively. So also when our teacher arrives our souls would instinctively know that Truth has begun to shine upon our souls. When Truth shines it requires no other testimony to prove its existence.
That truth penetrates into the deepest parts of our nature, and we know it, we feel it. We can all judge from the fruits That Truth gives us.
Jesus, Buddha, Krishna epitomized Truth itself in the garb of this bodily existence. Their wisdom shone like the sun and are the greatest teachers of Mankind. They are now worshiped as God by a major portion of Humanity.
We may also get help from people who are good spiritual teachers, though not at the same level of manifestation as Jesus, Buddha or Krishna.
In order to know our spiritual teachers we must have the intuitive power to discern the person from whom we choose to receive teaching and guidance.
But most of us may not have that strong power of intuition. So, what should be done then?
There ought to be certain tests, certain conditions, which we may apply and judge for ourselves whom we choose to be our spiritual teacher.
To choose a spiritual teacher we must make sure that he or she know the spirit of the scriptures. Whether it be the bible, the Koran or the Vedas and Upanishads or any other path.
Many people read scriptures, but the scriptures are only a medium of transference of the wisdom thorough words, semantics, philology. They are the dry bones of spirituality.
A teacher may play with the words of the scriptures so that the mind of the congregation get carried away in a deluge of the words themselves. In the process, the spirit of the scriptures become elusive. We remember a few words of the teacher, how he or she spoke. In the background of it all our minds went their own way creating myriads of thought webs.
It is the knowledge, the experience of the spirit of the scriptures alone which would constitute a true spiritual teacher.
"Shabda jala maharanya Chitta Bhramna Karanam"
"The semantics of word play is like deep forest maze which causes the curious wondering of the mind"
The way many teachers express through the usage of words, using very colorful language, makes way for the disputations and intellectual enjoyment. The beautiful word imageries alone would not be conducive to spiritual growth or experience.
None of the great masters ever went into explanations of various texts. They never practiced text torturing.
They never used the jugglery of diction, nor did they play upon the meanings or roots of words. Yet they all taught meaningfully. They taught in simple ways.
There are numerous teachers in society today who claim to be masters in the field of spirituality, who have not taught anything from their own experience, but written volume after volume of literary masterpieces through diction and play of words, on matters of spirituality.
Although such works of artistic rendition have their proper place, but not in the domain of spirituality.
Allow me to tell another story to elucidate my contention. There was a huge mango orchard, having the boughs full of luscious mangoes. A group of people to visit the orchard. The owner had allowed them to pluck and eat the mangoes if they liked.
But a few of the group started researching how many leaves and twigs each tree had They began to compare fruits of one tree with another, with regard to their color, size, shape, genre etc. Then these few started a lively and interesting discussion on their findings.
All of them were allowed in the orchard for one day till sundown. Most of the time went on in these intellectual exercises about the mangoes, their origin, their size and shape and all. The sun was dipping towards the horizon.
There was one in that group who never bothered to check and discuss the physical details, nor did he participate in the discussion of the others. All he did was, he went on plucking mangoes when inclined to do so, and ate them. He did not care for anything else. He was focused on what he intended to do and he did exactly that.
At sundown the owner came to bid the group goodbye.
He asked a few of them of their experience. All he heard was the word play of the topics discussed. None but one alone could relate to his experience of eating mangoes. He was the only one who could tell how sweet the mangoes were, and how much he enjoyed it.
So the lesson here is experience is the main thing.
Let the others do what they wish to do. In spiritual life, be the mango eater, the enjoyer, not the bean counter or a discussion leader.
The other most important condition to be a spiritual teacher is to have a clean character. We may ask why is this a necessary condition? We may say, we need to only judge what he speaks and take that up.
It may be true for a teacher in the mainstream subjects of Science, Arts and the like. In the field of mainstream education we need to have only the intellectual connectivity with our teacher and nothing else. So it would not matter how the teacher led his personal life.
But in matters of spirituality it is the experience through the ages, that it is impossible to have any spiritual light if the soul is impure. Since the basic of spiritual instruction is purity of the heart and the soul.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven" said Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount.
So in choosing a spiritual teacher we must first find out what he or she is then find out what they have to say.
From a teacher whose heart is pure will come words of power which are transmitted deep into another soul.
What can a spiritual teacher transmit if that purity is not within them. There must exist a healthy vibration in the teacher so that it may be transferred sympathetically to the recipients.
The success of a true spiritual teacher lies in the transference of spiritual vibrations, and not mere stimulation of the intellectual faculties of the recipients.
The third condition of an spiritual teacher is Motive.
A teacher who teaches for ulterior motives of name fame and wealth cannot transmit spirituality.
A true teacher transmits wisdom and knowledge and spiritual vibrations simply out of love for mankind.
In the modern world if the teacher is to survive, and does genuinely does his work through Love then money and shelter to sustain him comes automatically, from the Divine, through the mediumship of the recipients.
So, in selecting a teacher when you see these conditions fulfilled, you are safe. Otherwise, the outer circumstances around the teacher which may attract us , may be used to transmit wickedness instead of spirituality. Look at the different cults which has come up in the last 50 years or so. Need I say more?
This danger must be guarded against by all means.
So our first and foremost duty should be to look within ourselves, instead of complaining and whining, and make sure if the craving for spirituality is as strong as for food when we are hungry.
Paramahamsa Ramakrishna of India, was once approached with the question that what is the intensity of craving for spirituality does a person feel.
To answer this he related a story.
A man goes to his Guru and asks how does one feel when one feels the craving for spirituality.
The guru did not answer. At noon the Guru invited the disciple to have a bath in a nearby pond. The guru asked the disciple to stand in neck deep water. The disciple is thinking that the Guru may transmit some special power to him through ritualistic baptism.
The guru suddenly took the head of the disciple and pushed it under the water and held it under the water for quite a few minutes. The disciple was gasping for breath. He tried to get out of the water, threw his hand s around to dislodge the guru's forceful hands.
Finally the guru took him by the hair and pulled his head out of the water. The guru asked how did it feel.
The disciple answered quite agitated. "What else could I feel, I was about to die from the shortness of breath."
The guru replied: "Exactly, the intensity of spiritual thirst is very similar."
Thirdly:
There are greater dangers in regard to the Guru.
Spiritual masters in the West have achieved a mushroom like growth potential.
There are many so called masters in the West and in the world, who although immersed in the ignorance of true spirituality, yet in the pride of their hearts, profess to know everything in matters spiritual. They do not stop there, but offer to shoulder others in the spiritual quest. Result is one blind leading the other and both fall in to the ditch.
In the Katha Upanishad Chapter 1, section 2, verse five we find the
Lord of Death Yama teaching Nachiketa the young lad " Fools dwell in darkness,
wise in their own conceit and inflated with vain knowledge, go around staggering
to and fro, like blind men led by the blind."
