The Self In The Hindu Perspective

The Self in the Hindu Perspective

Yoga • Sanskrit for “to unite/join” • Goal: self-realization w/c occurs when the mind is calmed, consciousness is turned w/in & united w/ its source, the Self—the unchanging essence in each individual • It is “samadhi” • Both the goal of union & the methods to accomplish this

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History • From the ancient pre-Hindu culture of India, based on the Vedas (earliest date 2500 B.C.) • The Vedic Period placed great value on mastery of ecstatic trance & supernatural powers thru practice of severe austerities, self-discipline, and self-mortification

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4 Major Sections of the Vedas • Oldest: Vedic hymns & sophisticated philosophy • 2nd: deals w/ rituals & sacrifices essential to good fortune • 3rd: forest treaties on contemplation & inner truth • Last: Upanishads/Vedanta w/c discuss the goal of knowing the Self

The Bhagavad Gita • • • •

1st & most popular work on Yoga Part of Mahabharata (2 B.C.) A great metaphor for spiritual quest Characters represent various psychological & physical qualities – 5 brothers = 5 senses – Battlefield = body & consciousness of person

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Metaphorical Dialogue between Arjuna (ego) & Krishna (Self) • Arjuna: warrior • Krishna: his charioteer, an incarnation of God, a great spiritual teacher/guru • Krishna recommends action w/o attachment over inaction & renunciation. • The mind is the source of all action. • Ideal: develop a pure mind that is w/o attachment then all life becomes continual Yoga practice

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The Classical Period

Samkya • Mainly concerned w/ understanding & describing various levels of existence • Goal: not so much to explain the world, but to help transcend it by developing discrimination • Its metaphysics is related to yoga

• From 200 A.D. to 800 A.D. • The time of the dev’t of the 6 classical schools of Hindu thought: – – – – – –

Mimamsa (philosophy of ritualism) Nyaya (school of logic) Vaisheshika (naturalistic philosophy) Vedanta (nondualistic metaphysics) Samkya (dualistic philosophy) Yoga

• The last 3 are the most influential schools today. • All 3 have strong links w/ each other.

Vedanta • Teaches nondualism • Describes Reality as a single, indivisible whole • Vedanta philosophers practice yoga for spiritual dev’t.

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Yoga • The classical school is based on the work of Patanjali (2 B.C.) sage and the author of at least part of the Yoga Sutras.

Major Concepts

#1. Spirit and Nature • • •

Every human being is a combination of these 2 principles. Body and mind come from Nature The transcendental Self comes from Spirit (Purusha  pure consiousness)

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#1. Spirit and Nature, more • Spirit – Knows no limitations or qualifications – Includes consciousness w/in & beyond the universe – The manifestation of Spirit in the individual is the Self—unaffected by physical or mental activity – However, the mind distorts our awareness of the Self.

#1. Spirit and Nature, more • Nature – “Prakriti”—means “that w/c brings forth” – The ground from w/c all material forms spring – Also the source of all nonmaterial forms including thoughts & emotions

#1. Spirit and Nature, more • The Transcendental Self – In each individual is Spirit in essence – It is pure awareness/pure consciousness

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#1. Spirit and Nature, more • Ideal of Yoga: – To seek joy from its source—the Self w/in (parable of the musk deer)

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#2. Three Principles of Creation • Nature has 3 primary constituents or principles (the 3 gunas):

#1. Spirit and Nature, more • Self-realization is the uncovering of the Self that is hidden by our identification w/ the forms generated by Nature, including the body & the subtle forms such as mind and emotions. • “Everyone is the Self and, indeed, is infinite. Yet each person mistakes his body for his Self.” –Ramana Maharshi

– Tamas (inertia) – Rajas (activity) – Sattva (clarity or light)

• These 3 function together to generate all activity.

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#2. Three Principles of Creation, more • E.g., process of creating a statue: – Tamas—the untouched inner stone – Rajas—the act of carving – Sattva—the image in the sculptor’s imagination

• All 3 are essential: – pure tamas alone is inert, dead matter – Pure rajas is energy w/o direction or goal – Pure sattva is a plan that remains unrealized

#2. Three Principles of Creation, more • Every individual exhibits some balance among these 3 qualities, though most people are dominated by one of them. • Virtually everything can be classified in terms of the gunas: – rich or heavy foods are tamasic-heavy to digest & cause laziness & sleepiness – Spicy hot foods are rajasic-lead to activity, strong emotions or nervousness – Fresh fruits & veggies are sattvic-promote calmness – Mountains & ocean shores are sattvic-suitable for spiritual practice

#3. Consciousness (chitta) • The mind w/c embraces all thought processes • Yoga as “controlling the activities of the mind” – Patanjali • Final goal: to focus attention on the Self • When mental processes (or waves of consciousness) are active, the Self is obscured, like a bright light suspended in churning water

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#3. Consciousness (chitta), more • Yoga practices – Quiet the waves of consciosuness and calm the mind by control of the body, breathing techniques – Once body and mind are clam and disciplined, awareness of the Self is possible.

#4. Karma • Means action and also its reults • Principle: every activity brings w/ it certain consequences; every individual’s life is influenced by past actions. The influence happens in part thru the creation of subconscious tendencies.

#4. Karma, more • To avoid the formation of new subconscious tendencies or the strengthening of old ones, a yogi refrains from “acting out.” • Ideal: acceptance & transmutation of negative action & thought into positive action & thought

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#5. Subconscious Tendencies (samskaras)

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• Control of the waves of consciousness is possible only when the samskaras are diminished. • Goal: complete reformation of consciousness; otherwise, the samskaras will seek to actualize themselves, sprouting like dormant seeds

#6. The Guru (to “uplift”)

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• A spiritual teacher who can uplift a student’s consciousness • Master of disciplines that affect one’s whole life & character • A disciplinarian who pushes the students beyond their self-imposed limitations

#6. The Guru (to “uplift”), more • A mirror exposing faults & limitations, but always remaining conscious of the essential purity & perfection of the Self behind such limitations, thus fosters the student’s emotional & psychological dev’t • Most important attribute is spiritual consciosuness

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#7. Initiation • Self-realization is not possible w/o initiation; and there can be no real initiation w/o a qualified guru

Schools of Yoga 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Karma-yoga: the Yoga of action Jnana-yoga: the Yoga of knowledge Bhakti-yoga: the Yoga of devotion Hatha-yoga: the Yoga of the body Mantra-yoga: the Yoga of sound Laya-yoga: the Yoga of meditation Kundalini-yoga: the Yoga of energy Raja-yoga: the royal Yoga of mind & body

Dynamics of Self-Development • Psychological growth: Western stereotype of a yogi • Hindu ideal: spiritual growth is a balanced life of worldly service & responsibilities plus the practice of spiritual discipline • Types of ascetics & sages: ascetics practiced austerities & other disciplines

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Dynamics of Self-Development, more • The ancient rishis or sages emphasized the importance of sacrifices & hymns. • Patanjali outlined 8 limbs of Yoga: – – – – – – – –

Abstentations Observances Postures Vital energy control Interiorizations Concentration Meditation Illumination

4 Stages of Life (in the classical, idealized life cycle of the sage) 1. The Student – Serves as an apprentice – Character building thru emotional & spiritual discipline – Goal: to become a mature individual, fully equipped to live a harmonious & productive life, rather than remain a slave to one’s moods, habits, and drives

4 Stages of Life (in the classical, idealized life cycle of the sage) 2. The Householder – seeks satisfaction in family pleasures, in achieving vocational success, and in serving the community as an active, responsible citizen

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4 Stages of Life (in the classical, idealized life cycle of the sage) 3. Forest Dweller – Gradual retirement from family & occupational affairs – When spouses are over 50 – Remain available to their family when needed

4 Stages of Life (in the classical, idealized life cycle of the sage) 4. Renunciation – Entrance to this stage is marked by a ritual closely resembling funeral rites – Officially dead to all social obligations and personal ties – Free to pursue self-realization w/o external demands or restrictions

4 Stages of Life (in the classical, idealized life cycle of the sage) • Self-realization: depends on the goal of the particular branch of yoga • For all paths: back to the source of consciousness—the Self • For Yoga literally means “union” w/ the Self, illumination • Obstacles to Growth: 5 major afflictions – Gross form-thought waves (of fear, desires, etc.) – Finer aspects-subconscious tendencies (to fear, desire

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The 5 Major Afflictions 1. Ignorance – The basis for all suffering is ignorance of our true identity – “Ignorance is the cause, the others are the effects. Ignorance thinks of the perishable as imperishable, of the pure as impure, of the painful as pleasurable, of the non-Self as Self.” (Yoga Sutras, II: 4-5)

The 5 Major Afflictions, more 2. Egoism – Results from the identification of the Self w/ the body & the thoughts – “Egoism is the identification of the Seer with the limitations of the eye.” (Yoga Sutras II: 6)

The 5 Major Afflictions, more 3-4. Desire and Aversion – Patanjali’s simple & elegant defintion: “Desire is longing for pleasure. Aversion is recoiling from pain.” (Yoga Sutras II: 7-8) – Desire and aversion bring about attachment to whatever increases pleasure or reduces pain. – Attachment arises from the feeling that we must have something for our own pleasure or fulfillment

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The 5 Major Afflictions, more 3-4. Desire and Aversion – The idea of nonattachment is to enjoy whatever one receives while being ready to give up w/o a sense of loss or sorrow. – One who has mastered nonattachment enjoys the present w/o trying to change it by wishing for more pleasure or less pain. – “Satisfying the sensory desires cannot satisfy you, because you are not the senses. They are only your servants, not your Self.”

The 5 Major Afflictions, more 5. Fear – “Fear is constant natural terror of death that is rooted even in the minds of the learned.” (Yoga Sutras II: 9) – “Fear of death is constant in the mind, and as desire and aversion are the result of some experience in the past, so is the fear of death the result of dying in the past.” (Purohit, 1938)

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The 5 Major Afflictions, more 5. Fear – Fear stems from identification w/ the perishable body instead of the imperishable Self. – “The knowing Self is not born; it does not die. It has not sprung from anything; nothing has sprung from it. Birthless, eternal, everlasting, and ancient. It is not killed when the body is killed.” (Katha Upanishad, I:ii, 18)

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Structure of the Self in Yoga • Body – Regard for it varies w/ schools – From outright rejection to appreciation – Most advocate a moderate approach, neither indulgent or unduly ascetic.

Structure of the Self in Yoga, more • Social relationships – Each one has his duty in this world, carried out whether as renunciation or service to others. The Divine has many faces. – From sociocultural conditioning to spiritual growth – After achieving self-realization, the yogi is in society but not of society – Newfound freedom comes from being grounded in the Self

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Structure of the Self in Yoga, more • Will – Involves tapas, ascetic discipline and austerity, as one goes beyond comfortable limits and overcomes tendencies of self-indulgence and restlessness. – “True freedom consists in performing all actions in accordance w/ right judgments & choice of will, not in being compelled by habits.” -Yogananda

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Structure of the Self in Yoga, more • Emotions – 2 types: painful waves & nonpainful waves. The latter can counter the former. – Goal: eventually transcend even the positive emotions. Why?

Structure of the Self in Yoga, more • Intellect – Attaining understanding through experience – “Do not confuse understanding w/ a larger vocabulary…”

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Essence of Yoga • The reformation of the psyche thru a system of concrete, practical exercises designed to transform our consciousness • Yoga exercises work w/ subtle energy flow in a uniquely direct way. • As the energy & consciousness of the Self flow outward, they become distorted by a series of lenses, our subconscious tendencies, habits, personality, and so on.

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Essence of Yoga, more • Subconscious tendencies bias our thoughts, w/c then affect our actions. • Action patterns become habits. Habits reinforce distorting lenses. • Then the Self w/c is pure joy, pure love, & pure bliss, cannot be made manifest w/in our consciousness or in the world.

Essence of Yoga, more • Yoga practice aims to reduce the distortion & direct the flow of consciousness to its source, the Self. • To reduce distortion, we cleanse our bodies & personality tendencies. Specific practices are suggested by different schools.

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Essence of Yoga, more • Yoga practice slows the flow of subtle energy & consciousness from the Self to the environment & begins drawing this consciousness back inward. • By turning inward (esp. in raja-yoga and kundalini-yoga), we begin to get in touch w/ the Self, w/ joy, bliss, & purity.

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The 7 Chakras

#1. Muladhara (root support) • Located at the base of spinal column • Associated w/ element earth, birth of sound, lower limbs, the mantra lam, the elephant (strength), sense of smell • Portrayed as a deep-red, 4-petaled lotus • It is is the location of the dormant kundalini.

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#2. Svadisthana (own-base) • Situated several inches above the 1st center • Associated w/ the element water, color white, the hands, the mantra vam, a crocodile-like animal (fertility), sense of taste • Is pictured as a crimson, 6-petaled lotus

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#5. Vishuddha (pure) • Located at the region of the throat • Associated w/ the element ether, the color white, the mouth & skin, the mantra ham, a snow-white elephant (pure strength), sense of hearing

#3. Manipura (jewel-city) • Located at the level of the navel • Related to the element fire, the sun, anus, the mantra ram (fiery energy), & the sense of sight • Depicted as a bright yellow lotus of 10 petals

#4. Anahata (unstruck) • Located at the level of the heart • The name of this chakra comes from its association w/ transcendental sound, w/c is “unstruck”. • Associated w/ color red, the element air, the penis, the mantra yam, a black antelope (swiftness), sense of touch • Drawn as a blue lotus of 12 petals

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#6. Ajna (command) • Situated in the brain, midway between the eyes • Is the seat of cognitive faculties, the mantra om, the subtle senses, & sense of individuality • Represented by a downward pointing triangle and a pale grey, 2-petaled lotus

Sahasrara (thousand-petaled) • Located at the top of the head • Not actually part of the chakra system • Is a body-transcending center where consciousness is connected to the human form • Represented by a thousand-petaled lotus

Sahasrara (thousand-petaled), more • The 7th center includes the brain. • When the brain is stimulated & energized by kundalini, the individual experiences a tremendous change in consciousness, an experience of bright illumination, or samadhi, “the blossoming of the thousand-petaled lotus”.

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