Raja Yoga involves exact meditation techniques which lead to experiences of the truth and finally achieve liberation.
The basic breathing techniques of Raja yoga to gain control over the mind and experience deep meditation are outlined below.
Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, and Raja Yoga are considered the four main yogas, but there are many other types. (The word “yoga” ? from the Sanskrit root yuj (”to yoke”) ? is generally translated as “union of the individual atma (loosely translated to mean soul) with Paramatma, the universal soul.” This may be understood as union with the Divine by integration of body, mind, and spirit.
Raja Yoga involves exact meditation techniques which lead to experiences of the truth and finally achieve liberation, described in Hindu thought as moksha. ( or liberation from the cycle of birth and death).
Raja Yoga is a very practical guide for gaining control over the mind.
Raja Yoga getting control of the mind
Without this control, meditation is not possible, and therefore the goal of any yoga, unattainable.
Moreover in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, “Yogas chitta vritti nirodhah,” or, “The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga! Raja Yoga shows how to achieve this.
8 Principles of Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga is also known as Ashtanga (8 limbed) Yoga which refers to the eight principles which are:
Yama; or the Code of conduct ? that is, self-restraint
Niyama; religious observances - commitments to practice, study and devotion
Asana: integration of mind and body through physical activity
Pranayama: regulation of breath leading to integration of mind and body
Pratyahara: abstraction of the senses, withdrawal of the senses of perception from their objects
Dharana; concentration, one-pointedness of mind
Dhyana: meditation (quiet and non-sensual activity that leads to samadhi)
Samadhi; the quiet state of blissful awareness, superconscious state
It must be remarked that although called eight-limbed, it is really a Royal Road to self-realization, with each limb leading into the next, ending with the goal, or Samadhi (and the union sought).
Raja Yoga taking control
More easily explained, first you must learn self-control.
Without it nothing that follows is possible. In conjunction with the self-control, you must practice religious observances, and seek to expand your quality of devotion. These two lead to Asana, or an integration of mind and body.
At this stage, you are ready to begin control over the breath, which is main life force that animates our existence.
As in each subsequent practice led the way to the next, so this stage prepares one for crucial stage of meditation.
Control of the breath is basic to this, and indeed, automatically assists in the next phase of Pratyahara, where you learn to turn off all the senses, and become internalized (not affected by sensatory stimulation).
This is the control you need to approach Dharana, or single-pointedness. From this point, meditation is said to begin. All the rest was preparatory for it and to it.
Raja Yoga getting to meditation
Finally one arrives at Dhyana, which is mediation. Your senses are internalized, your breath is controlled, your mind is thus free from the ?stuff? that keeps it perpetually busy.
Once in true mediation, the road leads directly to Samadhi. In Samadhi you are in harmony with all creation, and non-creation, and are yourself the five principles or Yamas, which are:
Ahimsa - of the refraining from injury (non-life supporting action)
Satya ? which is truthfulness
Asteya ? of the freedom from stealing
Bramacharya ? which is living within the Self (moderation; abstinence)
Aparigraha ? or the freedom from attachment to possessions
Having attained this, you are considered in perfection and able to feel one with your creator. This is the goal of all yoga, but in Royal Yoga, the path is easily set out, and if followed without deviation, you may arrive just there.
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Showing posts with label jnana yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jnana yoga. Show all posts
March 1, 2009
What is Yoga?
In this article I will help you understand what Yoga is and how it can help you. Achieve a balanced happy and useful life. Yoga is more than exercise. Yoga is spiritual and gives you much more than just a healthy body. It helps your mind and your spirituality as well.
The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “Yuj” meaning to yoke, join or unite. Yoga is meant to combine your physical, mental, and spiritual being to attain more out of life.
Yoga originated in India where they consider it part of classical philosophy that combines your soul with the universe. But according to iyengar-yoga.com, ?The origins of yoga are believed to be much older than that, stemming from the oral traditions of Yogis, where knowledge of Yoga was handed down from Guru (spiritual teacher) to Sisya (spiritual student) all the way back to the originators of Yoga, “the Rishis,” who first began investigation into the nature of reality and man’s inner world.?
Legend has it that knowledge of Yoga was first passed by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati and from there into the lives of men.
There are many parts of the Yoga family or many different forms. Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga are all well known forms of Yoga, but there are many more.
According to Wikipedia, ?Karma yoga, or the “discipline of action” is one of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga focuses on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. It states that one can attain Moksha (salvation) by doing his duties in an unselfish manner.?
Raja Yoga is different and involves psychophysical meditation techniques to attain experiences of the truth and finally achieve liberation.
Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. Bhakti yoga is generally considered the easiest of the four general paths to liberation, or moksha.
Jnana in Sanskrit means “knowledge”, and is often interpreted to mean “knowledge of the true self”. To say, “I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness, the non-enjoyer, non-doer and silent witness,” is jnana. To behold the one Self everywhere is jnana.
Okay, so those are the definitions of some of the forms of Yoga, but how does it help me? How do I decide which form of Yoga is the one for me?
A lot depends on what you are trying to achieve. There are more forms of Yoga than just those I mentioned and it is a good idea for you to search for the definitions of all forms of Yoga before deciding which one is right for you.
I am using these four types of Yoga as examples to give you an idea of the things you need to consider when choosing a form of Yoga to study and participate in.
Using the examples above and just the short definitions given to us there, you can see they are distinct and each has a different purpose or goal.
Karma is meant to help you attain salvation through your actions. To humbly serve in this life so you can be served in the next. Everyone has heard of good and bad Karma. The saying comes from this style of Yoga. If you do good things, good things will happen to you if not in this life, in the next.
Raja Yoga is the control of your own mind. Not allowing it to be modified by events that have happened to you in your past. The belief here is that every event that happens in your life modifies your mind and how you perceive things. By practicing Raja Yoga, you can keep your mind from being modified by these events and get to know your true self.
Bhakti Yoga is selfless devotion to GOD. The belief that GOD is the supreme being that created the universe. The 9 principles of Bhakti Yoga are;
1) Hearing about the Lord - singing & chanting God’s names (japa), hearing stories from scripture.
2) Glorifying the Lord - describing God’s all-attractive features.
3) Remembering the Lord - internal meditation on the Lord’s form, activities, names or personality.
4) Serving the lotus feet of the Lord - providing a form of physical service.
5) Worshiping the Lord - deity worship (arcana) is a popular form of this within India.
6) Offering prayers to the Lord - any form of prayer offered to please God.
7) Serving the Lord - offering a service for Lord’s pleasure, such as preaching activity.
8) Building a friendship with the Lord - having an internal, loving relationship with God.
9) Surrendering everything unto the Lord - surrendering one’s thoughts, actions and deeds to God.
Jnana Yoga incorporates the fundamental belief that there is no dualism, that the universe is all one entity. A good way you may have heard this explained is to become ?one with the universe?.
Using these explanations, you can see what the general goals are for each Yoga form. These definitions are far from complete and there is much more to be learned about each of the forms I mentioned here. As I said before there are also other forms of Yoga you should research. There is even sub-forms of Yoga within each of these I mentioned and others.
I suggest you choose the path to enlightenment that suits you if you are considering starting Yoga. Find one that has goals that are appealing to you and stick to that discipline so you can achieve your goals.
Robin Darch, of PRT Specialised Services Limited has a website, Yoga Tips to help you find all the information you need about Yoga and the benefits of Yoga.
Yoga Tips
The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “Yuj” meaning to yoke, join or unite. Yoga is meant to combine your physical, mental, and spiritual being to attain more out of life.
Yoga originated in India where they consider it part of classical philosophy that combines your soul with the universe. But according to iyengar-yoga.com, ?The origins of yoga are believed to be much older than that, stemming from the oral traditions of Yogis, where knowledge of Yoga was handed down from Guru (spiritual teacher) to Sisya (spiritual student) all the way back to the originators of Yoga, “the Rishis,” who first began investigation into the nature of reality and man’s inner world.?
Legend has it that knowledge of Yoga was first passed by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati and from there into the lives of men.
There are many parts of the Yoga family or many different forms. Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga are all well known forms of Yoga, but there are many more.
According to Wikipedia, ?Karma yoga, or the “discipline of action” is one of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga focuses on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. It states that one can attain Moksha (salvation) by doing his duties in an unselfish manner.?
Raja Yoga is different and involves psychophysical meditation techniques to attain experiences of the truth and finally achieve liberation.
Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. Bhakti yoga is generally considered the easiest of the four general paths to liberation, or moksha.
Jnana in Sanskrit means “knowledge”, and is often interpreted to mean “knowledge of the true self”. To say, “I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness, the non-enjoyer, non-doer and silent witness,” is jnana. To behold the one Self everywhere is jnana.
Okay, so those are the definitions of some of the forms of Yoga, but how does it help me? How do I decide which form of Yoga is the one for me?
A lot depends on what you are trying to achieve. There are more forms of Yoga than just those I mentioned and it is a good idea for you to search for the definitions of all forms of Yoga before deciding which one is right for you.
I am using these four types of Yoga as examples to give you an idea of the things you need to consider when choosing a form of Yoga to study and participate in.
Using the examples above and just the short definitions given to us there, you can see they are distinct and each has a different purpose or goal.
Karma is meant to help you attain salvation through your actions. To humbly serve in this life so you can be served in the next. Everyone has heard of good and bad Karma. The saying comes from this style of Yoga. If you do good things, good things will happen to you if not in this life, in the next.
Raja Yoga is the control of your own mind. Not allowing it to be modified by events that have happened to you in your past. The belief here is that every event that happens in your life modifies your mind and how you perceive things. By practicing Raja Yoga, you can keep your mind from being modified by these events and get to know your true self.
Bhakti Yoga is selfless devotion to GOD. The belief that GOD is the supreme being that created the universe. The 9 principles of Bhakti Yoga are;
1) Hearing about the Lord - singing & chanting God’s names (japa), hearing stories from scripture.
2) Glorifying the Lord - describing God’s all-attractive features.
3) Remembering the Lord - internal meditation on the Lord’s form, activities, names or personality.
4) Serving the lotus feet of the Lord - providing a form of physical service.
5) Worshiping the Lord - deity worship (arcana) is a popular form of this within India.
6) Offering prayers to the Lord - any form of prayer offered to please God.
7) Serving the Lord - offering a service for Lord’s pleasure, such as preaching activity.
8) Building a friendship with the Lord - having an internal, loving relationship with God.
9) Surrendering everything unto the Lord - surrendering one’s thoughts, actions and deeds to God.
Jnana Yoga incorporates the fundamental belief that there is no dualism, that the universe is all one entity. A good way you may have heard this explained is to become ?one with the universe?.
Using these explanations, you can see what the general goals are for each Yoga form. These definitions are far from complete and there is much more to be learned about each of the forms I mentioned here. As I said before there are also other forms of Yoga you should research. There is even sub-forms of Yoga within each of these I mentioned and others.
I suggest you choose the path to enlightenment that suits you if you are considering starting Yoga. Find one that has goals that are appealing to you and stick to that discipline so you can achieve your goals.
Robin Darch, of PRT Specialised Services Limited has a website, Yoga Tips to help you find all the information you need about Yoga and the benefits of Yoga.
Yoga Tips
February 23, 2009
What is Yoga
Yoga is very much known as the path to enlightenment of the soul.
To achieve this goal one has to attain the union of mind, spirit and body.
Yoga comes originally from the Hindu philosophy. The word is derived from the sanskrit word ‘yeung’, which means to join.
There are various paths the yoga apprentice has to follow to find spiritual insight and harmony for example:
* Physical exercises known as ASANAS. A form of exercise that stretches and strengthens the body through various poses supported by breathing
techniques. A healthy soul inhabits a healthy body. The ASANAS prepare the body for meditation
* Mental and spiritual exercises known as MEDITATION. There are various methods to gain ‘peace of the soul’ for example the old lady who sits by the fire knitting. Meditation is the practice of the constant observation of the spirit. If one is fully concentratoed the spirit gains peace. In yoga, through meditation exercises, one concentrates the spirit on objects known as Mantras to get calm.
Traditionally yoga consists of eight fundamental paths known as:
* 1. Ashtanga or Raja Yoga
* 2. Bhakti Yoga
* 3. Hatha Yoga
* 4. Jnana Yoga
* 5. Karma Yoga
* 6. Maha Yoga
* 7. Purna Yoga
* 8. Tantra Yoga
There are many institutions of yoga which all have there own unique beliefs and practices. In the western world, the term yoga often refers to Hatha Yoga which is perfecting the mind by way of perfecting the body. This technique uses many Asanas, breathing techniques and meditation.
Another popular type of yoga is ashtanga which is considered as a type of aerobic since they utilise quick and smooth transitions between the poses.
The well known ‘ommmm’ chant is commonly used in Mantra. This type of yoga is focused on calming the body and mind through usage of sanskrit word and sounds.
No matter which school one chooses, yoga is a very diverse practice. Old and young people can gain many benefits from regular yoga practices. Asanas can be adjusted to suit the physical limitations of those participating. You can practise at home or anywhere you want at any time of the day. If you want to breakfree from weight rooms, gyms or tread mills, take a look at yoga.
Attain liberation from wordly suffering through mastery over the body, mind and emotional self.
Take the first step on the path to join body and soul in harmony.
Stuart Perryman
Yoga: Body - Spirit - Mind
http://yoga.alluneedtoknow.info
To achieve this goal one has to attain the union of mind, spirit and body.
Yoga comes originally from the Hindu philosophy. The word is derived from the sanskrit word ‘yeung’, which means to join.
There are various paths the yoga apprentice has to follow to find spiritual insight and harmony for example:
* Physical exercises known as ASANAS. A form of exercise that stretches and strengthens the body through various poses supported by breathing
techniques. A healthy soul inhabits a healthy body. The ASANAS prepare the body for meditation
* Mental and spiritual exercises known as MEDITATION. There are various methods to gain ‘peace of the soul’ for example the old lady who sits by the fire knitting. Meditation is the practice of the constant observation of the spirit. If one is fully concentratoed the spirit gains peace. In yoga, through meditation exercises, one concentrates the spirit on objects known as Mantras to get calm.
Traditionally yoga consists of eight fundamental paths known as:
* 1. Ashtanga or Raja Yoga
* 2. Bhakti Yoga
* 3. Hatha Yoga
* 4. Jnana Yoga
* 5. Karma Yoga
* 6. Maha Yoga
* 7. Purna Yoga
* 8. Tantra Yoga
There are many institutions of yoga which all have there own unique beliefs and practices. In the western world, the term yoga often refers to Hatha Yoga which is perfecting the mind by way of perfecting the body. This technique uses many Asanas, breathing techniques and meditation.
Another popular type of yoga is ashtanga which is considered as a type of aerobic since they utilise quick and smooth transitions between the poses.
The well known ‘ommmm’ chant is commonly used in Mantra. This type of yoga is focused on calming the body and mind through usage of sanskrit word and sounds.
No matter which school one chooses, yoga is a very diverse practice. Old and young people can gain many benefits from regular yoga practices. Asanas can be adjusted to suit the physical limitations of those participating. You can practise at home or anywhere you want at any time of the day. If you want to breakfree from weight rooms, gyms or tread mills, take a look at yoga.
Attain liberation from wordly suffering through mastery over the body, mind and emotional self.
Take the first step on the path to join body and soul in harmony.
Stuart Perryman
Yoga: Body - Spirit - Mind
http://yoga.alluneedtoknow.info
Yoga in Practice: In Search of the Perfect Yoga - Part 3
This is the last in this series of answers to statements about Yoga students who are searching for the perfect Yoga, or the perfect Guru.
?You can?t teach me anything about Yoga, I already know it.?
You are absolutely right. There is an old Chinese saying, ?A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood.? In other words, a closed mind still must go through a deep awakening process to reach its complete potential.
However, I am getting on in years, and do not have the desire to teach the intolerant, or those who already know everything. My answer to this student is: You are right, and please stay with your current Guru.
It should come as no surprise that, very often, the student who says he or he already knows everything, does not and never had a Guru. If intolerance cannot be purged from within a particular Yoga student, he or she should be banished by any self-respecting Guru.
Life is too short to waste your time teaching those who don?t want to learn. In talking to my colleagues, I have found similar sentiments. Who among you wants to waste your time?
?What could I get out of Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, or Jnana Yoga??
Each of these styles has so much to offer, but they could be classified, for the most part, as non-physical styles of Yoga. Let?s briefly take a look at each one.
Bhakti Yoga is most often practiced within India. Bhakti Yoga literally means -unity through devotion to God. Therefore, this is a sectarian practice, most often practiced by Hindus. However, there are Jews, Christians, and Moslems who practice Yoga exclusively with members of their own religion. The practice of Bhakti Yoga is deeply spiritual.
Karma Yoga is unity through selfless service; also known as the Yoga of action. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. could be considered Karma Yogis. Both were men of peace and action who ultimately gave their lives for what is right.
Jnana Yoga is unity though knowledge or the path of wisdom. Through Jnana Yoga you will discover truth without delusion or bias. Jnana Yoga requires the serious student to meditate often.
So, now you see the ?big picture? and the need to keep the Yoga community together. Yoga literally means unity or union. Therefore, we must be living examples of it.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
?You can?t teach me anything about Yoga, I already know it.?
You are absolutely right. There is an old Chinese saying, ?A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood.? In other words, a closed mind still must go through a deep awakening process to reach its complete potential.
However, I am getting on in years, and do not have the desire to teach the intolerant, or those who already know everything. My answer to this student is: You are right, and please stay with your current Guru.
It should come as no surprise that, very often, the student who says he or he already knows everything, does not and never had a Guru. If intolerance cannot be purged from within a particular Yoga student, he or she should be banished by any self-respecting Guru.
Life is too short to waste your time teaching those who don?t want to learn. In talking to my colleagues, I have found similar sentiments. Who among you wants to waste your time?
?What could I get out of Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, or Jnana Yoga??
Each of these styles has so much to offer, but they could be classified, for the most part, as non-physical styles of Yoga. Let?s briefly take a look at each one.
Bhakti Yoga is most often practiced within India. Bhakti Yoga literally means -unity through devotion to God. Therefore, this is a sectarian practice, most often practiced by Hindus. However, there are Jews, Christians, and Moslems who practice Yoga exclusively with members of their own religion. The practice of Bhakti Yoga is deeply spiritual.
Karma Yoga is unity through selfless service; also known as the Yoga of action. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. could be considered Karma Yogis. Both were men of peace and action who ultimately gave their lives for what is right.
Jnana Yoga is unity though knowledge or the path of wisdom. Through Jnana Yoga you will discover truth without delusion or bias. Jnana Yoga requires the serious student to meditate often.
So, now you see the ?big picture? and the need to keep the Yoga community together. Yoga literally means unity or union. Therefore, we must be living examples of it.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
February 22, 2009
Jnana Yoga & Bug-Free Beliefs
In Hinduism there are said to be several paths that lead to the cessation of human suffering. These are known as the four yogas: karma yoga (action, work, service), bhakti yoga (love, devotion, worship), raja yoga (meditation, mental control, ?psychic? exercise), and jnana yoga (knowledge, philosophy, enquiry). No one yoga is better or worse than any other, but individuals will tend to find themselves drawn to one yoga more than the others.
Jnana Yoga
If you?ve been following this blog regularly and digesting some of my lengthier posts, then it should be fairly obvious that among these four, my personal preference is jnana yoga, which is the path of attempting to understand reality through the process of enquiry, i.e. through the mind. In practice, however, I spend time working on all four of these yogas. I express karma yoga through the act of writing and striving to help others grow. Bhakti yoga (love) is an internal, less public path for me. And I?ve done a variety of meditations in the practice of raja yoga. But jnana yoga remains the most compelling for me. I seem to have an insatiable curiosity to understand reality on an intellectual level. It isn?t enough for me to simply feel the truth of something in my heart or to find peace through action. I strive to create a mental model of reality that?s as accurate as possible.
If you share the path of jnana yoga, you?ll likely find the process of enquiry to be fascinating and rewarding. You probably enjoy open-minded, intellectual discussion of high-level subjects. And you may often feel frustrated or isolated to meet few people around you who seem as curious about such things as you are. Formal religion is likely to be too static and ritualistic for you, even downright boring. For you the path of spirituality is the path of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Your desire to know is very strong.
But if jnana yoga isn?t your cup of tea, then you may simply find the notion of enquiry into the nature of reality to be pointless, overwhelming, or impractical. In that case you?re more likely to be interested in this blog for the practical productivity articles that help you improve your ability to do what you?re already doing? as opposed to those that challenge you to consider whether what you?re doing even makes any sense to begin with. Nothing wrong with that ? these are just different paths.
The Quest for Accuracy
One of the great challenges in personal development and in human life overall is that we exist in a world where we don?t fully understand the rules. And yet we cannot simply call a time out and refer to the instruction book, at least not in a direct and obvious way.
When I was a teenager, I began to question the nature of reality instead of merely swallowing what I was taught, whether it came from a priest or a scientist.
What led me to start asking such questions in the first place? It was something very simple ? inaccuracy. I would occasionally notice that the world did not function in the manner I expected it to function. And as a consequence of that, I experienced a certain degree of suffering. When your beliefs are incongruent with reality, some form of suffering is the result.
It took me many years to realize that my sense of suffering, pain, or otherwise unpleasant sensations were NOT caused by reality itself. They were caused by my own lack of understanding of reality. Inaccuracy is the root of all suffering.
Following the path of jnana yoga is like playing detective, where everything you experience is a clue, a pointer to the underlying reality. My biggest breakthroughs have come about from noticing a piece of data that just didn?t seem to fit my current working model of reality. If you take the time to reflect upon your own experience of reality, you?ll probably find at least a few pieces that just don?t seem to fit. Have you ever experienced something that you just can?t explain? Does fitting that experience into your current model of reality feel like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole?
For example, consider the concept of objective reality, which suggests that we?re all physical beings in a physical universe, and our thoughts and consciousness are merely epiphenomena of the physical world. Can you think of a piece that just doesn?t seem to fit this model, something that sticks out a bit?
Think hard.
How about the fact that you?re you? You?re you and you alone, not me and not anyone else. Does anything seem odd about that?
You notice that you have a physical body, and by looking around you notice that there are a lot of other physical bodies walking around this world as well. You can even touch and interact with them. You?ve been taught that there are over six billion of these bodies walking around on earth. No problem there so far.
However, how many consciousnesses do you perceive? You can perceive lots and lots of moving, talking bodies in the world, but you?re only able to perceive one consciousness. By consciousness I mean awareness, and that awareness appears to have a localized connection to your particular body, but you aren?t able to perceive the connection between your consciousness and other people?s bodies, at least not to the same degree you perceive the connection to your own body. Doesn?t this seem a bit strange to you? Why on earth should your consciousness be localized?
You can be fairly sure that I have a body just like you ? you can at least perceive it through your senses. You can come find me and access my physical form. But can you access my consciousness? Do you actually have any reason whatsoever to believe that I?m conscious at all in the same way that you are? Your senses tell you that there are lots of people in the world with physical bodies similar to yours. But you don?t have that same perception of consciousness. In fact, I dare say the only consciousness you perceive is your own. As far as you can tell, you?re the only truly conscious being in the world, aren?t you? Why would you assume that any of those other bodies walking around in your world experience individualized consciousness as you do? Isn?t that a pretty big stretch, considering the available evidence?
Do you make this assumption when you?re dreaming? Do you assume that your dream characters have a separate consciousness different from your own? Why on earth would you make this assumption in your waking life then?
The raw experiential data you?re able to know with certainty is that you can perceive lots of other physical bodies walking around, but you only directly perceive that one of them is conscious and aware ? you.
Now why is that? Does the model of objective reality provide a clear explanation for this? Does it tell you why your awareness is connected to you and not me or anyone else? If objective reality is to be believed, then why should you have a localized consciousness at all? Wouldn?t it make more sense for there to be no consciousness or awareness at all in such a universe? Or at the very least, if there is consciousness in the world, wouldn?t it be more logical that it should be totally non-local, not identified with any particular physical body? These are some pretty significant holes in the objective reality paradigm.
The process of enquiry can create cracks in certain belief systems, and by shedding those cracked beliefs (no matter how attached to them you may be), you?ll gradually develop a deeper understanding of the true nature of reality. In order to understand reality, you must first shed your false and inaccurate beliefs about it. This process is even more basic than science because science assumes the existence of objective reality. However, the process of enquiry begins with what you?re able to know through direct experience and doesn?t require you to make such unprovable assumptions. Your own consciousness is fundamental to your experience of life, so you don?t need to be convinced of its existence ? this is why your consciousness is perhaps the best place to start when attempting to develop an accurate model of reality. Any model of reality you strive to create must, at a bare minimum, explain the existence of your consciousness and why you experience it the way you do, including its apparent localized connection to your physical body. Otherwise, you?re ignoring a very crucial piece of data.
The belief in objective reality requires a rather large leap of faith. It isn?t fundamental. It?s simply one of many theories, one that begins with an assumption and which contains some problematic holes.
Another flawed model of reality would be a purely subjective one, suggesting that all of reality is created by your own thoughts. Through trial and error, you may find that a subjective model of reality (with respect to your own mind) doesn?t appear to be accurate either.
As you search for the real truth, you may perceive that reality has both objective and subjective elements to it. Some parts appear to be influenced, even controlled, by your thoughts. Other parts appear to be independent of your thoughts. But the most fundamental thing you?re able to perceive is the existence of this one consciousness, one awareness silently noticing reality unfolding.
You?ll know you?re making progress with jnana yoga when your constant experience of reality becomes one of utter amazement and wonder. You should be amazed, perhaps even freaked out a bit, when you attempt to stretch your mind to understand reality as accurately as possible. What is reality? It?s not fully objective, not completely subjective. Not quite a thing, not quite a thought. How does it work? What?s under the hood? What is its nature?
While you might be willing to settle for living with your current model of reality, begin to notice where that model begins to break down. You will know when it breaks because you?ll experience some form of suffering. But suffering is not there to punish you. It is there to serve as a wake-up call, telling you that you have an inaccurate model of reality and that the way to end your suffering is to correct the errors in your mental model.
Debugging Your Beliefs
What happens when a computer program is created by a programmer who makes inaccurate assumptions? The program will contain errors ? aka bugs. It won?t function optimally, and it may even crash. Your own mental software works the same way. When your beliefs about reality are inaccurate, you will experience bugs. Occasionally you may crash. Just as a computer program runs on certain hardware, you must work within the confines of your own physical hardware. But if you are experiencing software (not hardware) crashes in your life ? such as depression, hopelessness, anger, frustration, apathy, guilt, resentment, shame, or fear ? it?s because your code contains bugs. It means you?ve made some inaccurate assumptions. Your ?code? consists of your beliefs about reality.
If you want to run more accurate code (and thereby experience less suffering and pain in your life), then you must develop an accurate understanding of the hardware, the operating system, and the environment in which your code will run. You need to prevent the introduction of coding errors, and whenever you notice errors (which appear as some form of suffering), you must debug them. This means you need to identify the belief that?s causing the suffering and then either delete or rewrite it.
Your mental software doesn?t have to provide every possible feature in order to run properly. It just needs to be free of bugs. Code that isn?t written is inherently bug-free. You cannot crash code that doesn?t exist. Similarly, you cannot experience suffering if your beliefs about reality are bug-free, meaning that they contain no inaccuracies. When your code is accurate (even if there isn?t very much of it), you will experience states of peace, wonder, and amazement as your normal daily existence. Your code will not only run smoothly, but it will also be elegant. One of the deepest pleasures in computer program is the creation of elegant code. Elegant code is both accurate and efficient in a way that transcends mere logic and begins to cross into the domain of art. It is as close to perfection as computer programs can get.
Similarly, when your beliefs about reality become elegant, you will find that the program of your life takes on an almost unfathomable smoothness. This is the manner in which jnana yoga makes it possible to transcend suffering and experience peace.
Copyright ? Steve Pavlina
Steve Pavlina
Personal Development for Smart People
http://www.stevepavlina.com
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles)
Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he’s awake right now.
Jnana Yoga
If you?ve been following this blog regularly and digesting some of my lengthier posts, then it should be fairly obvious that among these four, my personal preference is jnana yoga, which is the path of attempting to understand reality through the process of enquiry, i.e. through the mind. In practice, however, I spend time working on all four of these yogas. I express karma yoga through the act of writing and striving to help others grow. Bhakti yoga (love) is an internal, less public path for me. And I?ve done a variety of meditations in the practice of raja yoga. But jnana yoga remains the most compelling for me. I seem to have an insatiable curiosity to understand reality on an intellectual level. It isn?t enough for me to simply feel the truth of something in my heart or to find peace through action. I strive to create a mental model of reality that?s as accurate as possible.
If you share the path of jnana yoga, you?ll likely find the process of enquiry to be fascinating and rewarding. You probably enjoy open-minded, intellectual discussion of high-level subjects. And you may often feel frustrated or isolated to meet few people around you who seem as curious about such things as you are. Formal religion is likely to be too static and ritualistic for you, even downright boring. For you the path of spirituality is the path of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Your desire to know is very strong.
But if jnana yoga isn?t your cup of tea, then you may simply find the notion of enquiry into the nature of reality to be pointless, overwhelming, or impractical. In that case you?re more likely to be interested in this blog for the practical productivity articles that help you improve your ability to do what you?re already doing? as opposed to those that challenge you to consider whether what you?re doing even makes any sense to begin with. Nothing wrong with that ? these are just different paths.
The Quest for Accuracy
One of the great challenges in personal development and in human life overall is that we exist in a world where we don?t fully understand the rules. And yet we cannot simply call a time out and refer to the instruction book, at least not in a direct and obvious way.
When I was a teenager, I began to question the nature of reality instead of merely swallowing what I was taught, whether it came from a priest or a scientist.
What led me to start asking such questions in the first place? It was something very simple ? inaccuracy. I would occasionally notice that the world did not function in the manner I expected it to function. And as a consequence of that, I experienced a certain degree of suffering. When your beliefs are incongruent with reality, some form of suffering is the result.
It took me many years to realize that my sense of suffering, pain, or otherwise unpleasant sensations were NOT caused by reality itself. They were caused by my own lack of understanding of reality. Inaccuracy is the root of all suffering.
Following the path of jnana yoga is like playing detective, where everything you experience is a clue, a pointer to the underlying reality. My biggest breakthroughs have come about from noticing a piece of data that just didn?t seem to fit my current working model of reality. If you take the time to reflect upon your own experience of reality, you?ll probably find at least a few pieces that just don?t seem to fit. Have you ever experienced something that you just can?t explain? Does fitting that experience into your current model of reality feel like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole?
For example, consider the concept of objective reality, which suggests that we?re all physical beings in a physical universe, and our thoughts and consciousness are merely epiphenomena of the physical world. Can you think of a piece that just doesn?t seem to fit this model, something that sticks out a bit?
Think hard.
How about the fact that you?re you? You?re you and you alone, not me and not anyone else. Does anything seem odd about that?
You notice that you have a physical body, and by looking around you notice that there are a lot of other physical bodies walking around this world as well. You can even touch and interact with them. You?ve been taught that there are over six billion of these bodies walking around on earth. No problem there so far.
However, how many consciousnesses do you perceive? You can perceive lots and lots of moving, talking bodies in the world, but you?re only able to perceive one consciousness. By consciousness I mean awareness, and that awareness appears to have a localized connection to your particular body, but you aren?t able to perceive the connection between your consciousness and other people?s bodies, at least not to the same degree you perceive the connection to your own body. Doesn?t this seem a bit strange to you? Why on earth should your consciousness be localized?
You can be fairly sure that I have a body just like you ? you can at least perceive it through your senses. You can come find me and access my physical form. But can you access my consciousness? Do you actually have any reason whatsoever to believe that I?m conscious at all in the same way that you are? Your senses tell you that there are lots of people in the world with physical bodies similar to yours. But you don?t have that same perception of consciousness. In fact, I dare say the only consciousness you perceive is your own. As far as you can tell, you?re the only truly conscious being in the world, aren?t you? Why would you assume that any of those other bodies walking around in your world experience individualized consciousness as you do? Isn?t that a pretty big stretch, considering the available evidence?
Do you make this assumption when you?re dreaming? Do you assume that your dream characters have a separate consciousness different from your own? Why on earth would you make this assumption in your waking life then?
The raw experiential data you?re able to know with certainty is that you can perceive lots of other physical bodies walking around, but you only directly perceive that one of them is conscious and aware ? you.
Now why is that? Does the model of objective reality provide a clear explanation for this? Does it tell you why your awareness is connected to you and not me or anyone else? If objective reality is to be believed, then why should you have a localized consciousness at all? Wouldn?t it make more sense for there to be no consciousness or awareness at all in such a universe? Or at the very least, if there is consciousness in the world, wouldn?t it be more logical that it should be totally non-local, not identified with any particular physical body? These are some pretty significant holes in the objective reality paradigm.
The process of enquiry can create cracks in certain belief systems, and by shedding those cracked beliefs (no matter how attached to them you may be), you?ll gradually develop a deeper understanding of the true nature of reality. In order to understand reality, you must first shed your false and inaccurate beliefs about it. This process is even more basic than science because science assumes the existence of objective reality. However, the process of enquiry begins with what you?re able to know through direct experience and doesn?t require you to make such unprovable assumptions. Your own consciousness is fundamental to your experience of life, so you don?t need to be convinced of its existence ? this is why your consciousness is perhaps the best place to start when attempting to develop an accurate model of reality. Any model of reality you strive to create must, at a bare minimum, explain the existence of your consciousness and why you experience it the way you do, including its apparent localized connection to your physical body. Otherwise, you?re ignoring a very crucial piece of data.
The belief in objective reality requires a rather large leap of faith. It isn?t fundamental. It?s simply one of many theories, one that begins with an assumption and which contains some problematic holes.
Another flawed model of reality would be a purely subjective one, suggesting that all of reality is created by your own thoughts. Through trial and error, you may find that a subjective model of reality (with respect to your own mind) doesn?t appear to be accurate either.
As you search for the real truth, you may perceive that reality has both objective and subjective elements to it. Some parts appear to be influenced, even controlled, by your thoughts. Other parts appear to be independent of your thoughts. But the most fundamental thing you?re able to perceive is the existence of this one consciousness, one awareness silently noticing reality unfolding.
You?ll know you?re making progress with jnana yoga when your constant experience of reality becomes one of utter amazement and wonder. You should be amazed, perhaps even freaked out a bit, when you attempt to stretch your mind to understand reality as accurately as possible. What is reality? It?s not fully objective, not completely subjective. Not quite a thing, not quite a thought. How does it work? What?s under the hood? What is its nature?
While you might be willing to settle for living with your current model of reality, begin to notice where that model begins to break down. You will know when it breaks because you?ll experience some form of suffering. But suffering is not there to punish you. It is there to serve as a wake-up call, telling you that you have an inaccurate model of reality and that the way to end your suffering is to correct the errors in your mental model.
Debugging Your Beliefs
What happens when a computer program is created by a programmer who makes inaccurate assumptions? The program will contain errors ? aka bugs. It won?t function optimally, and it may even crash. Your own mental software works the same way. When your beliefs about reality are inaccurate, you will experience bugs. Occasionally you may crash. Just as a computer program runs on certain hardware, you must work within the confines of your own physical hardware. But if you are experiencing software (not hardware) crashes in your life ? such as depression, hopelessness, anger, frustration, apathy, guilt, resentment, shame, or fear ? it?s because your code contains bugs. It means you?ve made some inaccurate assumptions. Your ?code? consists of your beliefs about reality.
If you want to run more accurate code (and thereby experience less suffering and pain in your life), then you must develop an accurate understanding of the hardware, the operating system, and the environment in which your code will run. You need to prevent the introduction of coding errors, and whenever you notice errors (which appear as some form of suffering), you must debug them. This means you need to identify the belief that?s causing the suffering and then either delete or rewrite it.
Your mental software doesn?t have to provide every possible feature in order to run properly. It just needs to be free of bugs. Code that isn?t written is inherently bug-free. You cannot crash code that doesn?t exist. Similarly, you cannot experience suffering if your beliefs about reality are bug-free, meaning that they contain no inaccuracies. When your code is accurate (even if there isn?t very much of it), you will experience states of peace, wonder, and amazement as your normal daily existence. Your code will not only run smoothly, but it will also be elegant. One of the deepest pleasures in computer program is the creation of elegant code. Elegant code is both accurate and efficient in a way that transcends mere logic and begins to cross into the domain of art. It is as close to perfection as computer programs can get.
Similarly, when your beliefs about reality become elegant, you will find that the program of your life takes on an almost unfathomable smoothness. This is the manner in which jnana yoga makes it possible to transcend suffering and experience peace.
Copyright ? Steve Pavlina
Steve Pavlina
Personal Development for Smart People
http://www.stevepavlina.com
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles)
Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he’s awake right now.
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