21st century yogi's

No, there are a multiplicity of ways.

 

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Shalom SatNam Sahdu Tao Em Aum Spirit Swami Kami Amin Amen Aumen Selah Hum Aum ... This beautiful mantra was shared with me by one of those accepting the cusp of global consciousness. Judge not for judgement arises from within, and since we are all connected, who are we really commenting on. Let us all ascend on this spiral while thanking the patient one for supporting our feet during this enlightenment.

 

Thank you very much for sharing this beautiful mantra. I will remember it forever. It is beautiful and I know it somewhere inside...


Thank you

Peace Love

 

That is beautiful. Truly. Thank you

 

Much love and bliss to you.

 

I must agree, so beautiful and inspiring!

 

I guess this looks ok on the surface... but, if judgement comes from within, then surely we should follow it, as what comes from within comes ultimately from the Divine. I don't mean that we should be judgemental in our attitudes to others on the basis of some personal or egoistic preference, but discrimination, viveka, is an essential quality for the devotee, hence you have to exercise judgement. If that is directed from within, it is likely to be truer than if it is based on some outward influence.
In truth, we make judgements at every step of the way. We have to, in order to seperate the gold from the dross, the Divine Truth from the sea of ignorance, even in order to ensure the survival of the body.

 

"Disinterested in rewards and remaining in discriminative discernment at all times, there follows the state of cognitive absorption known as the cloud of dharma."

pg 216 from "Kriya Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali and the Siddhas" by M. Govindan.

The term "dharma cloud" or "cloud of dharma" is not described any further, but given the characteristics of its preparation, it must necssarily occur just before the attainment of non-distinguished cognitive absorption (asamprajnatah samadhi), ultra-cognitive (seedless or nirbija) absorption. This may be similar to dharmakaya or "body of truth" in Buddhism, the experience of vacuity of emptiness. Discriminative discernment (viveka-khyateh) was described in II.26 and II.28, as the means of separating the Self from the world. It essentially consists of first stepping back from all the movements occuring within consciousness and later stepping back from individual consciousness into "Root consciousness of the Self."

In such a state, the person becomes freed from the pull of "the pairs of opposites" in dualistic thinking (right and wrong, beautiful and ugly, etc.) and dharmic principles of righteous conduct or duty become superfluous. With no sense of "I" or "mine," there is no corresponding sense of duty. One desires nothing. One has no need to do anything. While the body may still exist, due to force of past karma, the yogin is not affected by it. His bodily actions and also actions in the surface mind continue until this karma is exhausted.

 

Saw this reply in a flash one night...took me what seems like forever to find it again

When a person reaches that emptiness and frees themself from the dichotomy and embrace the one do are they supposed to remain in that state or do they come back to use what was learned there in joyful action with others?

 

Yea!!! Its so good to see you here. It took me a while before I circled back to find your response.

Some vow to return and some retire. I figure as long as the wheel is still spinning there is work to be done. However, I don't claim to have reached anywhere but my own center... call it jiva or atman or Self. Many decide to return... or to isolate themselves from society so as to further progress within. My personal directive is that once the center is found, the next step is to find this reflected in all that is. Everything around you. What do you push from yourself as unequal? I act via. karma/dharma yoga... remembering the lifeforce with each inhale, each choice, each action. Offering the fruits of my labors back to the source. How much is by prior agreement, I can't say? After one goes through the wall of fire all is new... reborn. I can only answer from experience.

 

That doesn't depend on our thought etc. it is up to the higher consciousness to which we will then have attained.

 

I forgot I started this thread. Very good discussion though!

I'd like to give my personal disclaimer that I believe in many paths, and all rivers lead to the ocean or dry up, and as science has shown us, drying up just means clouds that rain, into the ocean, or another river, that will eventually end in the ocean, or drying up thus repeating the cycle.

Ok here we go!

BlackBillBlake,
your last statement implies the nature of reality is dualistic.

You refer to the higher consciousness as something other than yourself. This is what I gather from Patanjali's text's as well. My loose interpretation is that he says we have The Ultimate Consciousness, Samadhi, and then there's everything else, nature, maya, illusion, etc. You'll notice his main concern is Samadhi, and the 8 limbs are different methods to reach supreme consciousness.

Would you guys agree or disagree? Just curiuos.

Now, then we have the tantric world view, which is Unity and Oneness. From what I gather, the tantric philosophy went against the grain of the times. They said "wait a minute here. There isn't the supreme, then everything else. everything IS the supreme, and it is all expression of the divine" During those times as I said it was against the grain of thought. People didn't like the tantric view, because it opened the doors to say that yes, wine is divine. and of course the most famous hallmark of tantra, sex can be divine as well.

So we had the celibate, disciplined, cave dwelling yogi's who's path was to renounce the world as illusion and focus 100% of their time and being on internalizing and manifest supreme consciousness within.

Then there's the tantric yogi's who said that there is nothing to renounce because it is ALL a manifestation of the divine. And when one looks with a pure heart, one can find the divine in all, while being fully engaged in 'normal' world. Hence they had ceremonies in which alcohol was ingested, and sexual rituals were performed. Even sacrifices I think *not too sure on that one*.

Now lets be honest, these were done ritualistically with the highest in mind, the divine insight into all things as one. It's not like they smoked weed and drank beer all day with "bitches" giving them sexual favors on demand. But still its an interesting concept.

So I am going to propose that the deeper question here is, is your yogic practice one that is dualistic in the nature of reality, or one that is monistic.

Even when we read scriptures, we must realize that they are all written by different men/women in different time periods. And we now find ourselves being the authors of life and our own yoga practice in this current time period.

With Yoga coming to the west and globalizing. And with the variables of the industrial and media age at play. I think this conversation is one that must be had at this pivotal point in history, not just the history of the world, but the history of yoga. How do we define yoga today, as opposed to when the scriptures were written? One must definately take scripture into account. We don't want to throw out the wisdom of the ages, but are we adding anything new? Should we add anything new? Should we just indoctrinate yoga as a whole and go purely by scripture? Even if we go purely by scripture there are inconsistancies and disagreements between different text's.

Another interesting thing to throw in as I've observed the evolution of yoga, is that in the old original days, it was only available to Men. Now though, when I go to a yoga class (again thats a broad statement but bear with me) it is mostly women, and the men are the minority. I live in the U.S. . What impact do you think that mass feminine participation has or will have, if any, on the evolution of yoga?

 

I don't actually think I indicated a dualism here. It can be seen like this: the higher consciousness to which I refer is a part of the Self, but it is not manifested on the ordinary level of human consciousness. This Self is not the ego, not the sense of seperative cosciousness that we think of as our self in ordinary daily life. It is something that exists on a plane of consciousness of which we are not ordinarily aware - it is superconscious. In my view, until we reach that superconscious state, we should retain a dualism between the self and God.In that state, the distinction may, no doubt disappear, but on another level some duality, some existence of an individual may remain.
This brings up one of the fundamental diffrences between various vedantic schools of India - on one hand, Shankara with his impersonal absolute, and the aim of the yoga to become one with this, ending individual existence and consciousness, becoming wholly disolved in God or Bhraman. On the other side are the Bhakta's - Ramanuja, Mahdva, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu etc. They say in one way or another that God and the Jiva, or soul, or spark of divine awareness within and upholding the individual are one only in quality, but will always remain seperate - the Individual will always exist at the level of the Jiva even though one with God.
There is truth in both approaches I am sure. I prefer the idea of the persistence of the Jiva as an individual spiritual existence - but I am not closed to the notion that both things may be true at one and the same time -

 

I thought I'd answer this separately from the other point. I think yoga has to adapt. In some ways, that is. Already, attempts have been made at new syntheses of yogic paths, most notably by Sri Aurobindo. It is not that this is something new - the history of Indian philosophy and yoga shows that things have always proceeded by the method of synthesis. A new teacher, scripture or commentary would periodically appear which both assimilated the essential knowledge of what had gone before, and at the same time extended it, or presented the thing in a new way. I highly recommend Sri Aurobindo's 'Synthesis of Yoga'. Extracts can be found at:

http://intyoga.bravepages.com/soy.htm

Om Shanti

 

Ill definately be checking out his work. Can we get a brief overview or summary of the substance included in it for immediate discussion purposes??

 

I wish I could point out such a summary on-line - but I don't know if such exists. The best thing I can suggest is to look at the introductory material at

http://www.miraura.org

An excellent site, with good info and links on Sri Aurobindo's yoga.

Another suggestion

http://intyoga.freeservers.com/links2.htm

There's a lot here, but if you scroll down you'll find some essays by Kireet Joshi - I particularly recommend 'The yogic psychology of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother', which is a very concise summary of Sri A's 'map' of the planes of being etc. Also 'Sri Aurobindo'.

Hope this helps

 

everyone should enjoy their own practive of yoga, unlocking the energy notd (chakras) is my primary goal,, although i am hesitant and take things slow, lets things come as they are

 

BlackBillBlake,

I was hoping for your own personal interpretation. ?? =)

 

"Would you guys agree or disagree?"
I would say that there is Awareness and Manifestation.

"Now, then we have the tantric world view, which is Unity and Oneness. From what I gather, the tantric philosophy went against the grain of the times. They said "wait a minute here. There isn't the supreme, then everything else. everything IS the supreme, and it is all expression of the divine" During those times as I said it was against the grain of thought. People didn't like the tantric view, because it opened the doors to say that yes, wine is divine. and of course the most famous hallmark of tantra, sex can be divine as well."

Tantra is to weave together as in a tapestry.
Householders and celibates can be tantric.
This is about yes to everything. Going through it.

Celibates see the honored mother in all women and as part of themselves.
Householders honor their partner with equality and intimacy.
Both tantrikas see the all in everything, like a hologram.

Depth occurs when you see the divine as your partner
whether it be a physical or ethereal manifestation.
Instead of jumping from person to person... going deep.

"So I am going to propose that the deeper question here is, is your yogic practice one that is dualistic in the nature of reality, or one that is monistic."

I work with a balance of both the essential masculine and feminine energies, within my self. This balance rises up the central spine.

"Even when we read scriptures, we must realize that they are all written by different men/women in different time periods. And we now find ourselves being the authors of life and our own yoga practice in this current time period."

The voice of spirit leads from within, anew with now. Limitless.

"Another interesting thing to throw in as I've observed the evolution of yoga, is that in the old original days, it was only available to Men. Now though, when I go to a yoga class (again thats a broad statement but bear with me) it is mostly women, and the men are the minority. I live in the U.S. . What impact do you think that mass feminine participation has or will have, if any, on the evolution of yoga?"

Lunar matrix of manifestation shekinah prakriti earth mother.
Honor the life-force of manifestation, the template,
that makes possible the grounds for enlightenment. Find her reflection as part of you.

You are the essential feminine of the shakti and the essential masculine of shiva... married in the heart as the golden immortal child.

 

Thank you for the link... I just finished reading these two passages.

http://intyoga.bravepages.com/k-yoghum.htm

"So far there is little essential difference between our own ideas of human progress and those of the West except in this vital point that the West believes this evolution to be a development of matter and the satisfaction of the reason, the reflective and observing intellect, to be the highest term of our progress. Here it is that our religion parts company with Science. It declares the evolution to be a conquest of matter by the recovery of the deeper emotional and intellectual self which was involved in the body and overclouded by the desires of the prana. In the language of the Upanishads the manahkosha and the buddhikosha are more than the pranakosha and annakosha and it is to them that man rises in his evolution. Religion farther seeks a higher term for our evolution than the purified emotions or the clarified activity of the observing and reflecting intellect. The highest term of evolution is the spirit in which knowledge, love and action, the threefold dharma of humanity, find their fulfilment and end. This is the atman in the anandakosha, and it is by communion and identity of this individual self with the universal self which is God that man will become entirely pure, entirely strong, entirely wise and entirely blissful, and the evolution will be fulfilled. The conquest of the body and the vital self by the purification of the emotions and the clarification of the intellect was the principal work of the past. The purification has been done by morality and religion, the clarification by science and philosophy, art, literature and social and political life being the chief media in which these uplifting forces have worked. The conquest of the emotions and the intellect by the spirit is the work of the future. Yoga is the means by which that conquest becomes possible.

In Yoga the whole past progress of humanity, a progress which it holds on a very uncertain lease, is rapidly summed up, confirmed and made an inalienable possession. The body is conquered, not imperfectly as by the ordinary civilised man, but entirely. The vital part is purified and made the instrument of the higher emotional and intellectual self in its relations with the outer world. The ideas which go outward are replaced by the ideas which move within, the baser qualities are worked out of the system and replaced by those which are higher, the lower emotions are crowded out by the nobler. Finally all ideas and emotions are stilled and by the perfect awakening of the intuitive reason which places mind in communion with spirit the whole man is ultimately placed at the service of the Infinite. All false self merges into the true Self. Man acquires likeness, union or identification with God. This is mukti, the state in which humanity thoroughly realises the freedom and immortality which are its eternal goal."