Design of Man

Rudolf Steiner: "Let us take the case of a soul seeking development in a one-sided way through Yoga [and] disdaining to know anything about the external world. 'What good is it to me,' says such a person, 'to learn how the world came into existence? I want to advance myself by developing my own powers.' Such a person may perhaps feel an inward glow, may often appear to us somewhat self-contained, and self-satisfied. That may be; but in time, such a soul will be liable to loneliness. He may perhaps say: 'What do all these things matter to me?' and the exclusiveness leads to a fateful destiny!" [Abr.]

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1. Smart yoga ways take you into the Stream to the Whole

Some forms of knowledge, thinking, and perception equal spiritual breathing which we, as a portion of the world-Self, draw into our souls (which portion remains organically united to the whole), that is Atman, the Breath which cannot be distinguished from the general atmosphere. ⚶ Here we have the original form of this spiritual primeval stream, into which the soul is first immersed. ⚶ In these last three thousand years it has also become a question of personality and the cultivation of the personality -

We find that in old India three spiritual streams were flowing forth from the old Indian pre-historic times: (a) the earliest Vedas with later Vedantic essence given; (b) the Sankhya philosophy, and (c) Yoga, a system of methods with a philosophy that equals Sankhya with one exception: Yoga allows for the conception of God as Ishwara (Light-Being).

2. The all-embracing cosmos includes the public too

Several of these teachings may be carefully studied today, thanks to the works of Sanskrit scholars and the like.

One asks questions about human souls and the souls of gods - can they perhaps be traced back to a unitary source? Is it the foundation of the soul?

Man is told to be within the all-embracing World-Self, and also one with it. He is thus related to it both from inside and the world around. Alignment (among other things) can be had through Aum, the creative Cosmic Word, which itself contains the creative principle.

Plenty can be drawn forth from the cosmic Aum. It depends on attunement in the first place. And then various yoga methods are employed as well, some of them are described in yoga literature meant for the public too. "Yoga means a gradual awakening of the higher forces of the soul so that it experiences something not to be found in everyday life, which opens the door to higher and higher stages of existence." ◇

3. Yoga discusses a variety of 'hoods' and sheaths too

A soul is clothed in a variety of arrays and forms that must change from childhood to old age.

So

Kosha: (Lit., sheath, scabbard) A sheath surrounding the soul, jiva. Five sheaths ("envelopes"), one outside the other: (1) the sheath of bliss, anandamaya; (2) of intelligence, vigyanamaya; (3) of mind, manomaya; (4) of vital energy, pranamaya; and (5) of food (or physical matter), annamaya.

So a kosha is an "envelope", a sheath that is aligned with a plane or level of existence.

Higher yoga is also known as yoga-meditation. Meditation trains the focusing ability, and thereby awareness. Research on Transcendental Meditation, TM, documents it can reduce stressm anxiety and depression. It also improves health and brings many other accumulated benefits with it. [◦ Research findings on TM]