Living Yoga Wisdom: Philosophical Exercises for Personal Practice
128
Living Yoga Wisdom: Philosophical Exercises for Personal Practice
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781782796381 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Collective Ink |
| Publication date: | 05/29/2015 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 128 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
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Living Yoga Wisdom
Philosophical Exercises for Personal Practice
By Eckard Wolz-Gottwald, Ilka Schröder
John Hunt Publishing Ltd.
Copyright © 2014 Eckard Wolz-GottwaldAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-78279-639-8
CHAPTER 1
The Origin of Yoga
What is yoga? Those who have guessed that yoga means a lot more than being able to bend one's body like a pretzel seem to be right, but what does this "more" mean? What is the original meaning of yoga as it was discovered thousands of years ago in ancient India? Interestingly, no one is sure when exactly this discovery took place. In the northwest of the Indian subcontinent in what is nowadays known as Pakistan archeologists dug up city ruins, which probably existed around 3000 BC. In these ruins they found small plaques with images of squatting people, who are reminiscent of yogis sitting on the ground. Yet, being able to remain in a seated posture does not make one a yogi, and looking from an angle of serious research it is not possible to say whether at that time yoga was really known then.
Only later, in the second millennium BC, the oldest Hindu texts originated. These texts speak about "silent ascetics", who had withdrawn from society in order to live a life in complete silence. But can these ascetics, who had withdrawn from the hubbub of everyday life in order to practice silence, really be considered the first yogis?
The real discovery of yoga happened only much later between the 7th and 6th century BC. These first real yogis had little interest in writing down their experiences. However, we are lucky. The priests of that time, the Brahmans, recognized the immense value of the discovery of yoga. They integrated the words of the first yogis into their own sacred texts of Veda and referred to these earliest texts of yoga with the term Upanishad, which means 'secret text'. Many of such secret texts were produced during that time. As the Upanishads were not written down, but had to be memorized, they were only delivered orally from teacher to student until they were finally recorded much later in time. Today we have evidence of the origins of yoga in the form of books. Anyone can buy these books so it is no longer necessary, as it used to be, to be a personal student of a Brahman or a yoga master in order to learn something about the origins of yoga.
So, what did these first yogis find out when they initially discovered yoga almost 3000 years ago in ancient India? What was written down in the old sacred texts of the Upanishads? It is obvious that even in those days it was hard to put yoga experiences into words. However, in order to still be able to explain to their students what they had experienced, these first yogis referred to the concepts of the religion of that time. If we want to understand what yoga means in its original sense, we have to enter the world of the gods of ancient India. We will encounter ancient images that can tell us something important even in today's modern world.
In one of the oldest Upanishads three central gods are mentioned: Indra, Vayu and Agni. These Vedic deities had a truly remarkable experience. They met 'brahman'. The Sanskrit term brahman is generally translated to 'the Absolute'. However, the three gods did not recognize brahman. The text explains that brahman as 'the Absolute' means the foundation of all reality. The universe is based on brahman. Not only humans spring from brahman, but even the gods themselves are based on brahman. Even the most powerful gods live on the power of brahman, including Indra, Vayu and Agni. Initially, these three gods were not aware of brahman and thought that they had become gods through their own divine powers. Yet, they noticed that there was something, but they did not recognize it as brahman and simply asked themselves: "What marvel is this?"
According to the stories of the Upanishads they first sent out Agni, the God of Fire, in order to explore this wondrous phenomenon of brahman. When Agni being aware of his great powers approaches brahman, brahman turns the tables and asks him: "Who are you?" Agni instantly replies that he is the great God of Fire, who could destroy anything that exists in this world. As a test 'the Absolute' then offers Agni a straw and asks him to burn it. Strangely, even with the greatest efforts Agni did not manage to damage the straw of 'the Absolute' and had to return unsuccessfully to the two other gods.
The second who was sent out was Vayu, the God of the Winds. With his great powers he knows how to move anything that exists in air space. 'The Absolute' also offered him a straw, which despite his great powers Vayu did not manage to move even a millimeter. He also had to return without success. When in a final trial the king of the gods Indra himself tried to explore 'it', 'the Absolute' simply disguised itself to Indra. So even with the highest divine force it was not possible to experience the all-establishing reality of 'the Absolute'.
Interestingly, the tale takes the crucial turn exactly at that moment, when all the powers of the gods fail. A completely unknown female character appears, Uma, the daughter of Himalaya. With her femininity she constitutes a counter pole to the powers of the male gods. Uma represents a symbol of surrender, intuition and of 'not doing'. It is this woman who points to the path of letting go and surrender, and who provides the answer to the great gods on their search by explaining: "It is 'the Absolute' on which all your powers are based." Only then does Indra first and then the two other gods recognize brahman. Now, after they had renounced all of their powers and opened to intuition and surrender, the gods experienced that their lives and powers were not based on their own force, but on the force of brahman, 'the Absolute'. They experienced the all-embracing power of 'the Absolute' from which not only humans live, but also the gods themselves.
No exercise is described in any of these oldest texts, neither physical exercises nor breathing exercises nor meditation. No seated yoga postures nor any other yoga postures were known of at that time. Not even the term 'yoga' was known then. In the beginning of yoga there was no practice, but there was an experience. And it was this experience that was sought to be expressed in the philosophy of the Vedic religion of that time from which today's Hinduism has developed. It was referred to as the experience of brahman, the primal experience from which the entire universe originates without one even being aware of it, and to which man had managed to penetrate for the first time.
Only later the students of these first yogis started to ask for exercises, which could support this primal experience, and so the first yoga exercises were developed.
Although at this time the term 'yoga' was not known, in the images of these oldest texts everything was said that later the various schools of yoga have tried to express in often much more complicated ways. The mighty gods represent all our efforts to lead our lives in our way and to create our lives through doing. For example, if we really put effort into something it is possible to create great wealth and recognition, but even if we were able to arise to gods ourselves in yoga this would not be enough. The first yogis had a truly revolutionary experience. They learnt that there is a reality that even the gods depend on. The path to this experience is expressed in the symbol of Uma. Uma means letting go. Uma means not doing. And this "not doing" is so much more than all the powers and forces in the world of the gods.
The first yogis recognized that man is much more than he can generally perceive. Putting it simply, one could say that the discovery of yoga is the paradoxical experience of 'doing less' and hence 'receiving more'. This 'doing less' is a very peculiar 'doing less'. Yoga encourages a 'doing less' that leads to inner change and to inner detachment, and through this a very special 'receiving more' opens up once man experiences brahman, 'the Absolute', in the very depth of his heart in the here and now. If we learn to let go like Uma then awareness will break open that in the depth of our hearts we ultimately live out of brahman, 'the Absolute'. The origin of yoga points to yoga as a holistic way of life. The origin of yoga points to the discovery of our original and actual divine life.
Exercise
For the following exercise please allow for at least 10 minutes. First, read the entire text and only then start with the exercise of reflection. It is helpful to have a pen and a sheet of paper at hand to be able to jot down the results of each step in keywords.
What is expressed through the male gods, the female Uma and brahman, 'the Absolute', mirrors concrete experiences on the path of yoga. As a first step reflect on moments in your own yoga practice in which you tried to master exercises through 'doing', where you exerted yourself in order to reach your goals and where you had to make an effort to perfect your practice – like the Vedic gods Indra, Vayu and Agni tried to do initially. What are your experiences with this kind of practice?
As a second step look at your practice and identify where you are able to take on Uma's stance and where you can manage to let go.
• Have you ever managed to surrender to your practice by doing nothing and hence experiencing a force, which carries you without you yourself achieving something?
• Can you recall moments in your practice in which you 'do less' in a sense and yet 'receive more'?
Bring to mind that each yoga practice finds its essence in not you doing the practice, but in the practice carrying you. In the old Upanishads this is expressed in the symbol of Uma.
Perhaps such experiences may give an inkling to what the oldest texts of yoga refer to by the experience of the all-embracing divine power of brahman out of which not only humanity but ultimately the entire reality springs. The origin of yoga points towards experiencing 'the Absolute', which in general we do very seldom. However, from here an inkling of what really matters shines through if we open up to it and surrender.
CHAPTER 2The Three Great Lines of Tradition
In the beginning of the history of yoga was the experience. Students started to gather around the great masters who appeared from the 7th and 6th century BC at the time of the Upanishads. The first small yoga circles emerged. Most likely students would ask their masters for ways to find this particular experience. They would ask for exercises that would nurture such experiences. Consequently, meditation was developed as one of the first yoga exercises, partly coupled with preparatory breathing exercises. Yoga also had a strong spiritual focus on the experience of the divine brahman. Yoga means a pathway to divine experiences, from where different schools of yoga evolved. These schools understood the yogic path not as a religious one, but rather as a philosophical one. For these more philosophically oriented schools meditation also evolved to be the central practice. However, here the practice was directed towards the experience of the 'highest Self'. This 'Self' – an experience of the innermost center of man – is described with the Sanskrit term atman. Yoga was seen as a path towards awareness for the deepest essence of man. From these schools a second line of tradition emerged: the classical-philosophical yoga. Hence, for a long time it was possible to distinguish between two basic forms of yoga, one with a strong religious focus and the other with a more philosophical focus. In both forms of yoga meditation played a crucial part, on the one hand coupled with rituals of surrender and religious-meditative chanting, and on the other hand with philosophical reflection.
Only later in time, perhaps from the 10th or 11th century AD, a third line of tradition emerged, when it was discovered that it is particularly helpful to integrate the body into the practice. This was the great hour of hatha yoga, the yoga that integrates physical exercises into the practice.
If today's yoga presents itself in a variety of ways of practice, directions, names and personalities and can look back on a nearly 3000 year old history, all of these yogic pathways are ultimately based on the three great lines of tradition: first the religious yoga, second the philosophical yoga and third hatha yoga, which integrates physical exercise. These three lines of tradition each have their own basic texts, theories and even their own terminology. When today's schools of yoga refer to these three lines of tradition, they do so with very differing focuses. Some schools have their central focus on the pathway of religious yoga, others focus on classical-philosophical yoga and others on hatha yoga.
In this chapter, these three lines of tradition will be introduced briefly. First, the 'religious yoga': The primal experience of yoga was the experience of brahman, 'the Absolute'. The first yoga exercise of meditation was understood to be a pathway for divine experience, and the Upanishads, the oldest texts, which describe all this, are still honored as sacred texts by Hindus today. Thus, religious yoga refers to religion, but must not be confused as religion itself. The religious language, religious beliefs or religious rituals only constitute to the beginning or an outer sheath of this yoga. By entering the path of yoga the concept of religion begins to transform. Within religious yoga the belief of an external god outside humans continually evolves to the experience of the Divine residing deeply inside humans. An externally directed focus on the words of a priest or the commandments and teachings of the sacred texts transforms into the believer's surrender to the depth of his very own existence. Meditation, sacrifice and religious chanting especially turn into a practice of inner transformation, to a point where all 'I-ness' is dissolved and where the yogi lives alone out of a divine experience from the very depths of his innermost center. Various religious texts on yoga emerged, of which the Bhagavadgita stands out especially. The Bhagavadgita is worshiped as the most important sacred text by many Hindus, and at the same time is considered the most significant text of religious yoga. Today nearly all yoga centers in India include the practice of meditative chanting and recitation of religious yoga.
The idea that the path of yoga can have religion at its source, but does not need to, can be seen in the second great line of tradition, the 'classical-philosophical yoga'. This yoga is based on the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, which are believed to date back to between the 2nd century BC and the 2nd century AD. In a sort of compendium Patañjali analyzes what happens inside the human when he practices yoga. He explains the state of consciousness that the practitioner starts, the kinds of transformations and changes that take place during the practice, and what the perspective of the yogic experience is. Patañjali also develops the famous Eightfold Path of Yoga in which the principles of nonreligious yoga meditation are introduced. In the times thereafter his Yoga Sutras became the fundamental texts on yoga per se. Numerous commentaries appeared, which modified the classical-philosophical yoga. Consequently, anyone who has looked into yoga within the past 2000 years in some way or another draws on the Yoga Sutras as a source.
Hatha yoga, the youngest line of tradition, which emerged at the start of the 2 millennium AD, also draws on Patañjali. To be precise hatha yoga is actually not a separate line of tradition, but rather a big integration movement of yoga. Hatha yoga is based on religious yoga as well as on classical-philosophical yoga, and integrates physical exercises into these more mind-related practices. Hence, the body is discovered as a gate for enlightenment, and only much later was the physical practice of hatha yoga, that is so popular today, developed and practiced alongside numerous breathing exercises.
For several centuries hatha yoga experienced its heydays until together with all other forms of yoga it was buried in oblivion. The degradation of India to a British colony in the modern era added to the downfall of yoga. Only in the 20th century a recollection of its own cultural heritage started to evolve and with this a new look on yoga emerged. Great yogis like Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Yogananda or Ramana Maharshi rediscovered the old treasures of yoga and began to make yoga available for the modern Indian, but also for the interested Westerner. However, these yogis exclusively referred to the traditions of religious and classical-philosophical yoga. Then, the yogic masters, who in addition began to teach hatha yoga, became the most successful as the physical exercises were adapted enthusiastically by Western students. This has led to the yoga boom that we experience today in the West.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Living Yoga Wisdom by Eckard Wolz-Gottwald, Ilka Schröder. Copyright © 2014 Eckard Wolz-Gottwald. Excerpted by permission of John Hunt Publishing Ltd..
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Table of Contents
Introduction 1
I Historical Backgrounds 9
1 The Origin of Yoga 11
2 The Three Great Lines of Tradition 17
II The Yogic Pathway 23
3 The Way Inside 25
4 The Beginning - The Ties of Everyday Consciousness 31
5 The Pathway - Transformation of Body and Mind 37
6 The Destination - Awakening to Our True Self 43
7 Living in Freedom in the World 47
III The Philosophy of Practice 53
8 The Nature of Yoga Practice 55
9 The Philosophy of Asanas 61
10 The Philosophy of Pranayama 67
11 The Philosophy of Meditation 75
12 Karma Yoga - Yoga of Action 81
IV The Big Topics of Yoga 85
13 Yogic Experiences 87
14 Master and Guru 93
15 Yoga and Religion 99
16 The Theories of Karma and Reincarnation 105
17 The Philosophy of OM 111
18 Divine and Self-Experience 117