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Yukteswar's Ascent Teachings |
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The Great IdeasPreviously
Yukteswar talks of constituents of the cosmos, and uses the ancient Hindu philosophy of Sankhya (Samkhya) to that end. Ordinary Sankhya is an an atheistic system, says Gavin Flood, but theistic tendencies of Sankhya were developed in the 1500s or around there, even though it was acknowledged also then that the system did not need the idea of a Lord anyhow. [Ith 235] Sankhya tells there are many separate selves. When such a self (at first without an object) draws to itself subtle material, "spiritual awareness" is first formed. Next a deep ego consciousness arises, and from it what it takes to speak, grasp, move, procreate, evacuate), and also a matrix of it all, the mind itself. The title and last part of Yukteswar's book talk of liberation as a certain inward "aloneness", or separatedness. There are added meanings to Sankhya's term kaivalya (liberation), such as transcendent self and witness self in our daily mind. The inward Self is hardly ever found through severe activity. [Ith 234] Adi Shankara describes it: There is a self-existent Reality, which is the basis of our consciousness of ego. That Reality is the Witness of the state of ego consciousness and of the body. That Reality is the constant Witness . . . your real Self. That Reality pervades the universe . . . Its nature is timeless Awareness . . . This is your real Self, the Supreme Being . . . It is unwavering. It is Spirit itself. [MORE] What this Page is AboutHere we render and quote central parts of Yukteswar's message in his book The Holy Science [Hos], and draw some lines of comparison. Yukteswar asked his disciple Yogananda in 1920, when Yogananda was on the brink of leaving India for Boston onboard "The City of Sparta", to use this book as the pillar of his Self-realization yoga teachings in the West, we are told by Sailendra Das Gupta in Kriya Yoga and Sri Yukteswar [A]Exceptional ComprehensionYukteswar says in his book The Holy Science [Hos]:
Comments
The bible translator George Lamsa goes into the aramaic concept of barnasha, son of man, in one of his books. The term has four meanings. The lowest is the habit-governed everyday person, the less conscious side to man. Man can be enabled to lift himself, so to speak, by going inwards, much as in Transcendental Meditation, TM. [Net xxiv] This said, scriptural mentions and notions are not good enough either, says Buddha in his ground-breaking Kalama Sutta. It is well worth reading. Yukteswar says further, in essence:Kutastha Chaitanya is Omnipresent Holy Spirit, and is called the Holy Ghost which shines on the individual parts of Darkness. Ignorance is repulsion and does not comprehend the Spiritual Light. [Hos 26, rendered] Fifteen attributes plus Mind and Intelligence constitute the seventeen "fine limbs" of the subtle body. These fifteen attributes with two poles - Mind and Intelligence - of the spiritualised Atom constitute the fine material body [Hos 21, 31, abr] CommentsThe four beasts of the Revelation can be taken to mean this and that, and are frequently used to such ends, on and on. The ancient bible concepts of thrones, relate to angel herarchies in Hebrew ideations.The Holy Spirit of the gospels is different from what Yukteswar tells. Evidence is here: [LINK] Ignorance is hardly repulsion. There is reason to cross out that tendentious definition attempt too. The subtle body Yukteswar refers to, is the Sankhya items found in a figure on the previous page. Steps and Stages HomewardHere are abstracts:
CommentsThe highest goal is happiness, or bliss, along with being and awareness, in Hindu scriptures. In other words, the goal is positively formulated as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Consciousness-Joy), which is a good concept.Tendentious redefinitions of the bible's talking Holy Spirit are hardly needed at all. Good thinking can tackle to stand on its own legs. Gurus and cults are free to define and reshape Hindu ideas. But they could also point it out if the Bible has other essential meanings than theirs. That is being fair and tidy. Adhering to good companyYukteswar maintains that "natural living is helpful for the practice of Yama" and Niyama, the don'ts and do's of yogi living. [Hos 70] Magnanimity of heart is the antidote to prejudice, family pride, and smugness. [Hos 71] Yoga ProperYukteswar says that proper meditative practices enable man to enjoy life - including the domestic life. [Hos 72] He also says "Life and death come under the control of the yogi who perseveres in the practice of Pranayama." [Hos 73] - How few there are who live to demonstrate it. Man enjoys due to desiring enjoyment, but he can never be satisfied unless and until he heads inward, Selfward. He can satisfy his heart very quickly in that way. [Hos 74] By the fixing of your attention the yoga state of samadhi can come. [Hos 75] What is called samyama is called "concentration of the self" by Yukteswar. Such focus opens up to much, including become a Divine Being in the self-help yoga way. Riveting attention on the "sensorium", the Door, is for opening and entering the secret Way. The specifics of it are not divulged in the book, but what he refers to by sensorium is the sushumnadwara, the door [dvara: door, gate] of the internal sphere. [Hos 75-76] In yoga teachings the sushumna is a subtle vessel of awareness and energy along the spine - rising from the muladhra chakra at the perineum to the crown of the head, (sahasrara chakra). A chakra in this terminology is a vortex of energy. "There [at the sushumna door, near the sexual organ] he perceives . . . John the Baptist, or Radha [mistress of Krishna], and hears the holy Sound (Amen, Aum) . . ." [Hos 80] Oh well . . . By activating the "down-to-earth" vortex and thereby "lifting the son of man", various stages are entered. They are Bhu, Bhuvar, Swar, Mahar, Jana, Tapo, and Satya. [Hos 80] The yogi enters into the world of fine matter and activates his conscience (consciousness) on the way to attaining a clean and pure heart. The clean heart becomes able to comprehend Real Substance in the universe. Going "on" (inwards) from there he "reaches the region of the Holy Ghost" and then he can be unified with his own Self - seeing that "nothing in the universe exists besides his own Self." [Hos 81-86] Difficult question to some, perhaps: Can you be unified with the Self you are? Yukteswar talks for purification and spiritualization by mantra (sounds of syllables or words). The mantra should help to make the real sound of OM audible. [Hos 87] The Seven Lokas
Vacuum ViewsNo one needs to freak out over vacuums or vacuum, heavens or heaven."The particular meanings of "emptiness" vary with the particular context and the religious or cultural tradition in which it is used," says the Britannica. [Ebu "emptiness"]. By the way, Northern Buddhism enumerates eighteen degrees of the Voidness, starting with Internal Voidness; External Voidness; Internal and External Voidness in union; Voidness of Voidance itself. Next on the list is Great Voidness; Real Voidness; Compounded Voidness; Uncompounded Voidness; and Boundless Voidness. Voidness number 12 is Natural Voidness. Number 13 is Voidness of Phenomena and so on. There are voluminous works and commentaries devoted wholly to the expounding of these eighteen degrees of the Voidness, informs W. Y. Evans-Wentz. Well, would you know! [Tiy 206n] Now try to heed these words by Shankara: "Study of the scriptures is fruitless as long as Brahman [God] has not been experienced. And when Brahman has been experienced, it is useless to read the scriptures." Piousness suggests intentness of the soul on its own nature, or "intentness on the reality of the Self", he says too, and "The learning of the learned may bring enjoyment but not freedom Freedom is won by a perception of the Self's oneness with the Eternal, not by rites and sciences." [SHANKARA TEACHINGS] Five Sheaths, Koshas
The Way inwards is to withdraw into the Heart (of four ideas), and so on, till one is free from bondages in Subtle, Bright Light. It is being baptised in the stream of Light [Hos 42]. The teaching of koshas, sheaths, are generally well supported yoga teachings. They are concisely described by Ramana Maharsi. Hay"Make hay when the sun shines." Complete destruction of sufferings is possible within Being conscious may destroy troubles. [Hos 50, 51] Man's Self is indestructible, Real Substance Supreme wealth, Paramartha, is the ultimate goal. [Hos 52, 51] Man attains bliss by focusing his attention inward for a while. Yoga has methods for it. [Hos 51] The Heart becomes purified in Bright Light What is called the OM sound is the way to Brahman (Spirit) Uniting one's Self with Aum (OM) is for transcending to one's Fatherhood deep inside. [Hos 53, 55-56] Yukteswar on LoveLoving well is turning love away from others, Yukteswar divulges. Without Chit attraction (he calls it "natural heart love"), man cannot live - he becomes often excited and suffers. He can never find any peace. [Hos 57, etc] The secret is in directing one's love away from anybody into the Godlike Supreme. [Hos 58] It means: Stop loving them; accept Divinity inside! Hence, free and spontaneous love can be good, and being truthful is above tanning. [cf Hos 61] "The power of love has been beautifully described" - Yukteswar. [Hos 97] Powers
Regulations of Living: Yama and NiyamaClearing the mind is fine, he says, and what he calls natural living. Living depends on the selection of food, dwelling, and company. However, man also has to experiment and reason to get at natural living. [Hos 62-63] Things to Eat for Yogis and Many OthersFrom their teeth, Yukteswar holds men and women are fruit eaters, and judged by the shape and length of the digestive tract - stating thatYukteswar decrees - and that "man bowels are 3 to 5 times the length of man's body" measuring "from mouth to anus." He makes this good point: "man is, in all probability, a frugivorous animal." [Hos 64-65]. Yukteswar does not tell that the pig is much like man by the yardsticks used. Roots and vegetables help too - "In men of all races we find that their senses of smell, sound, and sight never lead them to slaughter animals," says Yukteswar. "Can flesh then be considered the natural food of man, when both his eyes and his nose are so much against it, unless deceived by flavors of spices, salt, and sugar?" [Hos 65] - He does not tell that in Vedic India people used to eat meet. Says Encyclopaedia Britannica: "In ancient India, killing people in war or in capital punishment and killing animals in Vedic sacrifices were acceptable to many people who for other reasons refrained from eating meat." Mind "a fleshless diet". [Ebu "Hinduism"] He also talks for milk! "By observation of the nourishment of the young we find that milk is undoubtedly the food of the newborn babe." [Hos 66] - Mind "the protection and veneration of the cow, which gives food without having to be killed." [Ebu "Hinduism"] "From these observations the only conclusion that can reasonably be drawn is that various grains, fruits, roots, and - for beverage - milk, and pure water openly exposed to air and sun are decidedly the best natural food for man . . . well chewed and mixed with saliva . . ." [Hos 66]. You may include some vegetables too! "Other foods are unnatural to man and produce diseases, mental and physical, and ultimately lead to premature death", he says. [Hos 67] He Does not Advocate Very Much SexInterestingly, he also says, " In the sexual desire everyone has a very accurate thermometer to indicate the condition of his health." He holds that "sexual desire in its normal state makes man quite free from all disturbing lusts." "The sexual organ . . . is in a sense the root of the tree of life." He also says "Man well instructed in the proper use of sex can keep his body and mind in proper health and can live a pleasant life throughout." [Hos 68]. Let us hope that.CommentThe formerly married man who became a monk, does not say you should abstain from sex, but to go for proper use of sex, whatever that might be. There is something to learn from the following cartoon:
Where to liveConsider how high the mountain can be for thriving too. There is no doubt that fresh, unpolluted, sweet-smelling, and temperate air is good for all who fail without it. Bible Props
Yukteswar uses many passages from Revelation to prop up his Sankhya thinking and yogi outlooks. Here is one that deserves mention: One day on the island of Patmos John was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see." Comment
There is much reference to chakras (padmas, lotuses, whirls and vortexes of inner energy) in yoga works, particularly in Kundalini works. Sir John Woodroffe's The Serpent Power [Spo] goes deeply into this difficult terrain. A books that is a summary of Sir John's book, is the slender Kundalini Yoga. The latter leaves out juicy details, such as lots of mantras associated with the chakras, but gives an overview. It says, for example, that the sound of OM is the root mantra (syllables), of the centre between the eyebrows (see figure), and that there are two minor chakras above it, before the "brain chakra" or "white, thousand-petalled lotus" [Kuo 38-39]. Yukteswar taught kriya yoga, which is at bottom Kundalini Yoga (serpent yoga), and sometimes loosely referred to as Raja Yoga. In Yoga and Kriya and Kundalini Tantra Satyananda explains how kriyas are done, in detail. The information is free. Yukteswar's disciple Yogananda teaches how to too, but that information is secret, guarded by severe bond-making that goes against human rights laws of very many countries. [Cy; Kta] [LINK] The chakras are linked to the spine, without being physical. Each comes with a root mantra, and associated qualities and sounds (represented by lotus petals - see figure). Besides ascent is marked by increased awareness, which is at the heart of it. From bottom and upward the seven main chakras are:
Yukteswar adds that without experiencing these things first-hand, there is no adequate understanding of them, and that is true. Anyhow, such chakra descriptions are part of rather common Tantric yoga. And this goes to show what Yuktewar drawns on in his ascent teachings. It relates to an unseen spine channel called sushumna ("the narrow way"), and "circles", chakras of energy and consciousness that are associated with it. [Bhg, ch 1, v. 15-18, commentary] There are yoga methods that consist in "plugging the ears" and listening intently for these sounds too. It may take some time before OM can be heard - it seems to be individual too. In Zen, knowledge of chakras is not throught much of. Again, yoga teachings about chakras is one thing, and obscure references quite another. The question is how to verify these things duly. The chakras are not physical, and there are no naked statements in Revelation as to what the visionary images mean. And by the way, John's Revelation is in part like revelations in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. Daniel furnishes interpretations too, which John does not [Daniel 7-8, 10, 12]. For example, In another vision a shaggy goat was the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes was the first king. Despite the explanations furnished in the vision, when Daniel woke up he found his goat-vision was beyond understanding. [Dan 8:20-21, 27] The term "son of man" was also applied to Daniel himself, and is part of biblical shareware. The tall problem of drawing in more or less obscure bible allegories is that of proving the links fairly well. Intriguing as such figuratively-telling activity may be, it is not good enough just to claim a lot that such and such similarities are apparent. Further, yoga teachings do not depend on biblical comparisons, but are capable of standing on their own bottoms. Literature Ay: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 1st ed. New York: Philosophical Library, 1946. Online. [oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk12.html] Bhg: Yukteswar, Swami. Srimad Bhagavad Gita: Spiritual Commentary. Portland, Mn: Yoganiketan, 2002. On-line. [www.yoganiketan.net]. Cy: Satyananda Saraswati, Swami. A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya. Munger: Yoga Publications Trust, 1981. Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009. Ha: Yogananda, Paramahansa: Autobiography of a Yogi. 12th ed. Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF). Los Angeles, 1981. Hos: Yukteswar, Swami: The Holy Science. 7th ed. Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), Los Angeles, 1972. Kuo: Pandit, M. Kundalini Yoga. 5th ed. Madras: Ganesh, 1972. Kta: Satyananda Saraswati, Swami. Kundalini Tantra.8th ed. Munger: Yoga Publications Trust, 2001. Ky: Dasgupta, Sailendra B. Kriya Yoga and Sri Yukteshvar. Portland, Mn: Yoganiketan, 1998. On-line: [www.yoganiketan.net]. Net: Lamsa, George, tr. The New Testament. Philadelphia: Holman Bible Publishers, 1968. Later edition is Online. Spo: Avalon, Arthur (Sir John Woodroffe). The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga. 7th ed. New York: Dover, 1974. Tiy: Evans-Wentz, Walter Yeeling, ed. Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1967. USER'S GUIDE to abbreviations, the site's bibliography, letter codes, dictionaries, site design and navigation, tips for searching the site and page referrals. [LINK] DISCLAIMER: [LINK] © 20062008, Tormod Kinnes. All rights reserved. [E-MAIL] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||