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# 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
(TXT) detail: gopher://gopherpedia.com/0/Swami_Abhedananda
LOC: B132.Y6 A28
(HTM) source: https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.18710/
tags: ebook,spirit,yoga
title: How To Be A Yogi
# Tags
(DIR) ebook
(DIR) spirit
(DIR) yoga