2022-07-05 - How To Be A Yogi by Swami Abhedānanda ================================================== Chapter 4, The Raja Yoga ======================== The Raja Yoga maintains that the outer world exists only in relation to the inner nature of each individual. The Raja Yoga tells us that we should not think so much of what will happen after death, but that we should make the best use of the present... The only things that we can carry out of life are our character, our experience, and the knowledge gained therefrom. They are our real possessions; and the Raja Yoga will help us to develop their functions since its chief object is to mold the character and lead the student to the knowledge of the divine nature of the soul. The practice of Raja Yoga is divided into eight steps. The first and second, yama and niyama, include all the ethical laws that govern our moral nature. All of the fundamental principles of ethics expounded by Buddha and all the truths proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount are contained in these first two steps. All the physical exercises necessary for keeping the body in perfect condition are to be found in the third step. It is called asana in Sanskrit. Health is essential to the attainment of the highest knowledge. The pranayama or the breathing exercises constitute the fourth step. ... the main object of pranayama in the Raja Yoga is to develop the power of concentration. Making the mind introspective is the fifth step. It is called pratyahara. If we can withdraw the mind from external objects, fix it on some inner object, and bring it under control of the will, we shall accomplish all that is required in this step. Concentration follows next. After going through the five preliminary steps, if one takes up concentration, the results achieved will be extraordinary. Those, however, who have not practices the introductory steps will find this one extremely difficult, for the ground must be prepared before good results can be gained. Meditation is the seventh stage, and through it one passes into samadhi or the state of superconsciousness, which is the eighth and last step. In this state the sixth sense of finer perception is developed, the spiritual eye is opened, and one comes face to face with the divine Being dwelling within. In it the student realizes that his [or her] true Self is one with all the revelation and all the inspiration that can possibly come to the human soul. Those who are longing to know the Truth, who are searching for the ultimate Reality of the universe and are not satisfied with the knowledge gained through the senses or through the aid of instruments, should struggle hard to go into samadhi, because through it alone will they discover their ideal and reach the abode of happiness. When the superconscious realization is acquired, all doubts will cease forever, all questions concerning the nature of the soul will be answered, the search after Truth will stop, the mind will become tranquil, and the soul will be emancipated from the bondage of ignorance and self-delusion. The Yogi will never again fall a victim to the attractions of the world or be distracted by objects of sense. The whole universe will appear to him [or her] as the playground of the divine Being; and he [or she] will constantly feel that his [or her] body and mind are the instruments moving under the direction of the almighty Will, which is manifesting through all forms. Thus, having gained spiritual strength and illumination, he [or she] will become the conqueror of himself [or herself]... Chapter 5, Karma Yoga One of the [many] significations of the word Yoga is dexterity in work. To render this meaning still more specific, the Sanskrit term karma, derived from the root verb kri, to act, is added. Taken in its literal sense, therefore, karma signifies action and refers to all actions whether of mind or of body. Whenever there is activity of any kind, it is karma. Again, every action, as we are aware, is followed by reaction. No action can be separated from its result, as no cause can be absolutely disconnected from its effect. Consequently, the secondary meaning of karma embraces all reactions or results of actions. The chains of cause and sequence known as the law of causation is also called karma; and every action of the body and mind is governed by the law of karma or of action and reaction. When, furthermore, we consider that the effect of each action leaves its impression on the mind substance, which impression becomes the seed of a fresh action of a similar nature, we understand the third meaning of the term. In this sense the word karma includes the accumulated results of past actions, or rather, the seed forms of future activities. Hence the character of an individual, which is the aggregate result of the works... may be called karma. The Karma Yoga is, therefore, that branch... which discusses the three ideas conveyed by the word karma, explains the philosophy of work, describes the method by which the individual soul can extricate itself from the wheel of action and reaction, and having escaped from the irresistible law of causation by which everyone is bound, can attain to perfect freedom, fulfill the highest purpose of life, and thus through right action alone, reach the ultimate goal of religion. It is the path best fitted for those who believe in no creed, who are not devotional, and who do not care to worship or pray to a personal God. A Karma Yogi should realize that there is one Being or one Spirit in the universe. Seeing this same Being or Spirit in all living creatures, he [or she] should recognize the rights of all, and should not injure anyone either mentally or physically. Such a Yogi is truly unselfish; he [or she] is a blessing to the world and to humanity. A true Karma Yogi, furthermore, is he [or she] who recognizes that his [or her] real Self is not a doer of action, but that all mental and physical activity is merely the result of the forces of nature. Therefore, he [or she] never claims that any work, whether good or bad, has been done by his [or her] true Self. He [or she] lets [the] mind, intellect, and sense-organs work incessantly, while in his [or her] soul he [or she] holds steadfastly to the idea that he [or she] is the witness-like knower of all activity, mental or physical. Neither does he [or she] count success or failure in his [or her] daily life. He [or she] does his [or her] best in each effort... and after performing his [or her] duty to the utmost of his [or her] ability, if he [or she] meets with failure he [or she] does not grieve, but, saying within... that he [or she] did all that he [or she] could under the circumstances, he [or she] maintains... calmness and enjoys peace of mind even in the face of defeat. Buddha did not preach the worship of a personal God, but he established the truth that those who do not believe in a personal God and who are not devotional, can reach the highest goal of all religions by the path of Karma Yoga. Chapter 6, The Bhakti Yoga ========================== The Bhakti Yoga teaches that the final end of all religions can be reached through love and worship of the personal God... It is for devotees who, conscious of their own weakness arising from the lack of self-control and the knowledge, seek help from outside, and who, taking refuge in the Supreme, pray to [the divine] for forgiveness and pardon of sins committed through ignorance of the moral and spiritual laws that govern our lives. All dualistic systems of religion like Christianity, Judaism, and [Islam], which advocate the worship of a personal God, knowingly or unknowingly preach Bhakti Yoga and direct their adherents along this path. A student of the Raja Yoga must not only keep constant watch over his [or her] mind, but he [or she] must also faithfully practice the eight steps already described, if he [or she] would achieve his [or her] highest ideal, while in the Bhakti Yoga we learn that all desires and passions, whether good or bad, can be directed towards God. Then, instead of binding the soul to worldliness and earthly attachment, they become a means of attaining... absolute freedom from selfishness and wickedness. Chapter 7, The Jnana Yoga ========================= The last is the Jnana Yoga, the path of wisdom. The word jnana, being derived from the Sanskrit root jna, to know, means knowledge, and the ideal which it holds up before its followers is the realization of that absolute Truth, which is the one common source of all subjective and objective phenomena in the universe. The Jnana Yoga is based entirely upon the monistic principles of the Advaita or non-dualistic system of the Vedanta. Its purpose is to show that subject and object are but the two expressions of one absolute Being or Substance, that God and man, the Creator and created, are only different aspects of one universal Reality. The path of wisdom, therefore, is best fitted for those earnest and sincere seekers after truth who have no leaning towards active life, who are not devotional in their nature, but who are pre-eminently intellectual, and who, having realized the transitory and ephemeral character of phenomenal objects, are no longer contented with sense-pleasures. It is for those who wish to be free from all fetters and attachments, who care nothing for earthly prosperity, success, social honor, fame, or fulfillment of personal ambitions, but whose sole desire is to know who they are in reality, what their true nature is, and what relation exists between their soul, God, and the universe. Chapter 9, Was Christ A Yogi ============================ Jesus was a great Yogi because He realized the transitory and ephemeral nature of the phenomenal world and, discriminating the real from the unreal, renounced all desire for worldly pleasures and bodily comforts. Like a great Yogi He lived a life of seclusion, cutting off all connections with earthly friends and relatives, and having neither home nor possessions of His own. Jesus the Christ was a great Karma Yogi because He never worked for results; He had neither desire for name nor ambition for fame or for earthly prosperity. His works were a free offering to the world. He labored for others, devoted His whole life to help others, and in the end died for others. Being unattached to the fruits of his actions, he worked incessantly for the good of His fellow-men [and women], directing them to the path of righteousness and spiritual realization through unselfish works. He understood the law of actions and reaction, which is the fundamental principle of Karma Yoga, and it was for this reason He declared: Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Jesus of Nazareth proved Himself to be a great Bhakti Yogi, a true lover of God, by his unswerving devotion and His whole-hearted love for the Heavenly Father. The complete self-surrender and absolute self-resignation are the principle virtues of Bhakti Yoga, and as Christ possessed these to perfection up to the last moment of His life, He was a true Bhakti Yogi. Like the great Raja Yogis in India, Jesus knew the secret of separating His soul from His physical shell, and He showed this at the time of his death, while His body was suffering from extreme pain, by saying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." author: Abhedānanda, Swami, 1866-1939 detail: LOC: B132.Y6 A28 source: tags: ebook,spirit,yoga title: How To Be A Yogi Tags ==== ebook spirit yoga