anintroductiontoyoga

7/25/2019 AnIntroductiontoYoga

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A

N

I

N

T

R

O

D

U

C

T

I

O

N

TO

Y

O

GA

FOUR L ECTURES DEL IVERED AT T HE3

2

ND

ANNIVERSARY OF THE THEOSOPHICAL

SOC

IE

TY,

HELD AT BE NARES,

ON D

E

C

.

27

T

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,

2

8

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907

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T

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OSOPHICAL PU

B

LISH

IN

G

H

O

U

S

E

ADYAR,

M

ADR

AS,

IN

D

IA

B

ENARES,

INDIA;

C

HI

C

AGO

,

U

. s

.

A.

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A

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3/176

CONTENTS

P

AGE

L

ECTURE I . THE NATURE OE YOGA

l

.

T

h

e

Mean

ing oftheU

niverse l

2

.

TheU

nfolding of Consciousness 4

3

.

TheO

nenes

s oftheS elf 7

4

.

The

uick

ening ofthe P

rocess

ofS

el

fU

n

f

oldment5

.

Y

og

a is a Science6

.

Man aD

uality7

.

State

s ofMind8

.

S

ama

d

hi9

. TheL iteratu

re ofY

og

a1

0

. SomeDe

finition

s1

1

.

G

o

d

W

ithoutandG

o

d

W

ithin

1

2

. Chang

e

s of Consc

iousn

ess a

n

d

V

ib

rationsofMatter

1

3

. Mind1

4

.

Stag

es of Mindl

5

.

Inward andO

u

tward

-tu

rned Consciou

sne

ss1

6

.

TheCloud

1

0

14s

18

2

1

2

5

3

2


4/176

v

i CONTE

NTS

L

E

CTURE II . SCHOOL S 0 F THOUGHT 4 7

l

. TheR

elationofYo

g

a

t

o

IndianP

hilo

sop

hie

s 5 02

. Mind 7 0

3 . TheMe

nta

l Bo

dy 7

3

4

.

Mind andSelf 76

L

ECTURE III.

YOGAA

S

S

CIENCE8

1

1

. Methods ofY

oga 8 22

. TotheSe

lf

b

y

theSelf

3

.

TotheSelf through theN ot-Self 89

4

.

Y

o

g

a andMorality 915

. Comp

o

sition of State

s of theMnd 9 76 .

Plea

sure andP

ain 103

L E

CTURE

I

V

.

Y

OGAA

s

P

RA

CTICE

11

4

1 . Inhibition of Sta

te

sO

f

MindMeditation

W

ith andW

ithout Seed3

. TheU s

e

of Mant

ras4

.

A

tte

ntion

O

bstaclest o Yoga6

.

Cap

acities forY

og

a7

. Forthg

oing

andR et

urning8

.

Purifi

cat

ion of Bodie

s9 .

Dwellers ontheThreshold

10

1

1

.

TheE

n

d

1

5

7

11

5

1

20

12

7

1

2

8

1

3

1

13

2

1

3

8

146

1

4

9


5/176

F

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RE

WO

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n hand,

withmy

frie

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,

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a further comment

a

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ste

ring

o

f that more difficultt

ask

,

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he

se

l

e

ct

u

r

es

we

r

e

de

sig

n

ed

;

henc

e t

h

e m

an

y

re

fe

r

e

n

ce

s

t

o P

a

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.

Theyma

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,

h

o

w

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ve

r

,

a

ls

o se

r

v

e

t

o

g

ive to

t

h

e

o

r

d

in

a

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yl

a

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de

r

so

m

e idea oft

h

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S

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ie

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Ofs

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A

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BESA

N

T


6/176


7/176

L

ECTURE I

THE NATURE OF YOGA

B

ROTHERS

In this first discourse we shall concernourselves with the gaining of a general idea

O

f

the

subject of Yoga,

seeking its place innature,

i

t

s

own charac

ter,

itsObject in human evolution.

T

H

E

M

EAN ING OF THEU NIVERSE

Le t u s ,

first of all,

ask ourselves,

looking at

the world around us,

what it is that the history

of the world signifies. Whenwe read history,

what does the history tell us It seems tob

e

a

moving panorama O f people and events

,

but iti

s

r

eally only a dance of shadows the pe

oplear

e

s

hadows,

not realities,

t

he kings and statesmen,

t

h

e

minister

s and armies; and the ev

ents

theba

ttles

and revolutions,

th e rises and fallso

f


8/176

State

sare the most shadow-l ike dance of all.

Even if the historian tries to go deeper,

if he

d

eals wi th economic conditions,

with social

organisations,

with the study of the tendencies

of the currents o f thought,

even then he is in

the midst o f shadows,

the illusory shadows cast

by unseen realities.

This world is fullo f formsthat are ill usory

,

a

n

d the values are all wrong,

the proportions are o ut o f fo c us .

The things

which a m an of the world thinks valuable,

a

Spiritual manmust cast aside as worthless.

The

diamonds of the world, with their glare andglitter in the rays of the outside s

un

,

are mere

fragments O

f broken glass to thema

n

o

f knowledge

.

The crown oi theK in g,

the sceptre of

th eEmperor,

the triumph of earthly power,

are

less than nothing to the man who has had oneglimpse

o

f the maj esty of the Self.

W

h

at1

8

,

then,

reali

What istruly valuable O ur answer

will be very different from the answer given by

them a

n of the world.

The universe exists for the sake o

f the

Self.

Not for what the outerw orld can give,

not for control over the objects of desires,

not

for the sake even of beaut

yo r pleasure,

doesthe

Great Architect plan and build His worlds.

Heha

s

filled themw

ith Objects,

beautiful and


9/176

THE NATURE OF YOGA 3

pleasure-giving.

The great arch o f the sky

above, the mountains with snow-

clad peaks,

t

h

e

valleys soft with verdure and fragrant with

blossoms,

the oceans with their vast depths,

their surface now calm as a lake,

now tossing

in furythey all exist,

not for theObjects them

selves, but for their value to the Self.

N0 t forthemsel

v

es because they are anything in them

selves,

but that the purpose of theSelf may be

served,

and his manifestations made possible.

The world,

with all its beauty,

its happiness and

s

n

fi

e

r

i

n

g

, its joys and pains, is planned with theutmost ingenuity

,

in order that the powers of the

Self may beShown forth in manifestation.

From

thefire-mist totheLOGOS,

all exists for the sake of

the Self . The lowestgrain of dust,

the mightiest

D

eva in his heavenly regions, the plant thatgrows o ut of sight in t he nook of a mountain

,

the star that shines aloft overus

all these exist

in order that the fragments Of the o n

e

Self,

embodied in countless forms,

may realise their

own identity,

and manifest the powersOf theSelf through the matter that envelops them

.

There is but oneSelf in the lowliest dust and

the loftiestD

eva. Mamams

h

a

,

My portion,

a portion O f My Self,

says ShriK

r

s

h

n

a

,

are

all theseJ ivat

m

a

s

,

all these livingSpirits.

For


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4

INTRODUCTION T o YOGA

them the universe exists for them thesun shines,

andt

h

e

waves roll,

and the winds blow,

and therain falls,

that theSelf may know himself as mani

f

es

te

d

in matter,

as embodied inthe universe.

THE

U

NFOL

DING 0

E

C

ONSCIOUSNE

SS

O

ne

of tho s

e pregnant and significant ideas

which Theosophy scatters so lavishly aroundi

s

thisthat the same scale is repeated over and

ov

er agai n,

the same succession of events in

larger or smaller cycles. If you understandonecycle

,

you understand t he Whole.

Th e same

laws

by which a solar systemi s builded go to

the building up o f the system o f man.

Th e

la

ws by which the Self unfoldshi

s powers in

the u niverse,

from thefire-mist upt o theLOGOS,

are t

h

e

same laws of consciousness which repeat

themselves i n the universe o f man.

If y o u

understand them in the one ,

you can equally

understand them in the other.

Grasp them in

the small,

and the large i s revea

led t

o

you.

Grasp them in the large,

and the smallbe

comes

intelligible to you.

The great u nfolding from the stone to the

God goe

s on through millions of years

, thro

ughs

ec

n

s

of time.

But theI

l

o

n

g

unfolding

that


11/176

T

H

E

NATURE OF YOGA 5

takes place i n the universe,

takes pl a

ce in a

s

horter time-

cycle within the lim

it of humanity,and this in a cycle so brief that it seems as

nothing beside the longer o

n

e

.

Within a still

briefer cycle a similar unfolding takes plac

e in

the individualrapidly,

swiftly,

with all the

force o f its past behind it.

These forces thatmanifest and unveil themselves in evolution are

cumulative in their power.

Embodied in th e

stone,

in the mineral world,

they grow and put

out a li ttle moreof

strength,

and in them ineral

world accom

plish their unfolding. Then theybecome

t oo

strong for the mineral,

and pres

so

n

into the vegetable world.

There they unfold

more and more of their divinity,

until theyb

e

come too mighty for the vegetable,

and become

Expanding within and gaining experience

s from

the animal,

they againoverflow the limits of the

animal,

and appeara

s

the human.

In the human

being they still grow and ac

cumulatew ith ever

increasing force,

and exert greater pressure

against the barrier;

and then outO

f

the human,

they press into the super-human.

Th

is las

t

process of evolut

ion is called Yoga.

Coming t o the individual,

the man o

f our

own globeh as behind him his long evoluti

on in)


12/176

6 INTRODUC

TION T

o Y

OGA

other chains than oursthis same evolution

through mineral to vegetable,

through vegetableto animal,

through animalt o

man,

a

nd the

nfrom

o

ur last dwelling

-place in the lunar o

r

b

o

n to

this terrene globe that we call the earth.

Our

evolution here has all the forceof

the last evo

l

u

t

i

o

n in it, and hence, when we come to thisshortest cycle of evolution which is called Yoga

,

the man has behind him the whole of the forces

accumulated in his human evolution,

and it is

the accumulation o

f

these forces which enables

h

i

m

to make the passageso rapidly . We mustconnect o ur Yoga with the evolution of con

s

c

i

o

u

sn

ess

everywhere,

else we shall not under

stand it at all;

for the laws of evolution of con

sc

i

o

u

s

n

e

s

s

in a universe are exactly the same as

the laws of Yoga,

and the principles wherebyconsciousness unfolds itself in the great evolution

o

f humanity are the same principles that we take

in Yoga and deliberately applyt o the more rapid

unfolding o f

o

u

r

own consciousness. SO that

Yoga,

when it is definitely begun,

i

s not an ew

thing,

as some peopl

e imagine.

The whole evolution is one ini ts essence. The

s

uccession is the same,

the sequences identical.

Whether you are thinking o

f

the unfolding ofc

ons

ciousness

in t h e u niverse,

or in the human


13/176

THE NATURE or YOGA 7

race,

or in the individual,

you can study the

laws of the whole, a n d i n Yoga you learn toapply those same laws to your own consciousness

rationally and definitely.

All the laws are one,

however differentintheir stages of manifestation.

If you look at Yoga in this light,

then this

Yoga, which seemed so aliena nd so faro ff, willbegin to wear a familiar face

,

and come to you

in a garb not wholly strange.

As you study th e

unfolding of consciousness,

an d the correspond

ing evolution of form,

it will not seems o strange

that from man you should pass on to super-man,transcending the barrier of humanity

,

andfinding

yourself in the region where divinity becomes

more manifest.

T

H

E

O

NEN ESS o r THE SEL F

Th

e Self in you is the same as the Sel f

Universal.

Whatever powers are manifested

throughout the world,

those powers exist in

germ,

in l atency,

in you.

He,

the Supreme,

does not evolve.

In Him there are no addi

tions

or subtractions.

His portions,

theJivatma

s

,

are

as Himself,

and they o nly unfoldtheir powers

in matt

eras

conditions around them dr

aw

thosepowers forth . If you realise the unity oft

h

e


14/176

8


Self amid the diversities o

f theNot-Self,

then

Yoga will not seem an impossible thing t

o

you.

THE

UICKENING O F THEP

ROCESS o

r

SE

L

E

U

NFOLDMENT

Educated andt houghtful men and women you

already are already you have climb ed up that

l

on

g

l

a

dd

e

r whichseparatesthepresent outerform

o

f th eD

eity in you from His form in the dust.

Th

e manifestedD

eity sleeps in the mineraland thestone

.

He becomes more an d more unfolded in

vegetables and animals,

and lastly in man He has

r

eached what appears as His culminationt o

ordi

nary men.

Having done so much,

shall younot

do more With the consciousness so faru nfolded

do

e s it seem I mpossible that it should unfold in

the future into the divine

Asy

o

u realise that the laws ofthe evolutionof

form ando

f the unfolding of consciousness in the

universe and man a

re

the same,

an dthat it is

through these laws that the Yogi bringso

u

t

h

i

s

h

idden powers,

then you will under

stand also

t hat it is not

necessary to go into the mountain

o

r

into the desert, to hide yourself in a cave ora forest

,

in order that the unionwitht

he

Se

lf


15/176

THE NATUREo

r YOGA 9

m

a

y

be obtainedHe

who is within you and

without you.

Sometimes for a special purposes

e

clusion may be useful.

Itmay be well attimes

to retire temporarily from the busy haunts of

men.

But in the universe planned byI

shvara,

in order that the powers of the Self mayb

e

brought out

t

h

ere is your best field for Yoga,planned with D ivine wisdom

a

n

d

sagacity.

The world is meant for the unfolding oftheSelf:

why shouldy

o

u then seek to run away from it

Loo

k at Shri K r

s

h

n

a

Himself in that great

U

p

a

n

i

s

h

a

t

of Yoga, the B hagavad

-

G

Z

t

fi

. Hes

poke it out o n a battlefield,

and not on

a moun

tain pe

ak.

He spoke it to aKs

h

a

t

t

r

y

a ready

to fight,

and not to a Brahmana quietly retire

d

from the world.

TheK uruks

h

e

t

r

a of the world

is the field of Yoga . They who cannot face theworld have not the strength to face thediffi

c

ult

i

es

of Yoga practice.

If the outer world out

wearies your powers,

ho w do you expect to

conquer the difficulties of the inner life If you

cannot climb overthe little troubles of the world,

how can you hope to climb over the difficulties

that a Yog i has

to scale Those men blunder,

who think that running away from the world is

the road to victory,

and that peace canbe foundonly in certain localities.


16/176

1

0 INTRODUCTION To Y

O

GA

A

s a matte

r of fact,

you have practised Yoga

unconsc

iously in the past, ev

en before yourSelfconsciousness had separated itself,

was aware

of itself,

a

n

d

knew itselft

o bed

i

fi

e

r

e

nt

,

in tem

p

o

r

a

r

y

matters at least,

from all the others that

surround it.

And that is the first idea that you

should tak

e up and hold firmly Yogai s only aquickened process

o f

the ordinary unfolding of

consciousness.

Yoga may th en b e de fine d as the rational

application of the laws of the unfolding of con

s

c

i

o

u

s

n

es

s in anindividual case Thatis what ismeant by the methods of Yoga

.

You study the

laws of the unfolding of consciousness int

h

e uni

verse,

you then apply themt

o

a Special case

and that casei s your o

w

n

.

You ca

nnot apply

them to another. They must be self-applied.

That i s the de finite principle to grasp.

Sowe

must add one more wo r

d t

o our de finition:

Yoga is the rational application of the laws of

the unfolding of consciousness,

self-applied in an

individual case.

Y

OGA

I

s A SCIENCE

Next:

Yoga is a science.

That is the secondthing to grasp

.

Yoga is

a science,

a

n

d nota


17/176
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18/176

12

INTRODUCTION To YOGA

which nature is evolving forms around us,

a

n

d

yet he does in a few years what naturet

a

kes

,

perhaps,

hundreds o f thousands of yearst o

do.

An d h o w By applying human inte

lligence to

choose the laws that serve him,

andt o

neutralise

the laws that hinder.

He brings th

e

divine

intelligenc e i n m an to utilise the divine powersin nature

,

that are workingf or

general rather

than for particular ends.

Take the breeder of pigeons.

Out of the blue

rock pigeon he develops the pouter,

or

t

h

e

fantail he choosesc ut, generation after generation

,

the forms that Show most strongly the

peculiarity that he wishes to develop.

He mates

such birds together,

ta

kes every favouring

circumstance into consideration,

and selects

again and again,

and so o n and o n,

till t he

peculiarity thathe

wantsto establishh as be

come

a well-marked feature.

R

emove his controlling

intelligence,

leave the birdst o themselves,

and

they revert to the ancestral type.

Ortake the caseo

f

the gardener. Out of the

wild roseof

the hedge has been evolved every rose

of

the gar

den.

Many-pet

alled roses are but the

re

sulto

f

the scientific culture of thefive-petalled

rose o

f th e hedge -

row, the wild product o

f

nature.

A gardener

who choos

es the poll en


19/176

THE NATUREo

r YOGA 13

fr

om

one plant and places it on the carpelsO

f

anotheri s

simply doing deliberately whati

s

donee

very day by the bee and thefly

.

But he

chooses

his

plants

,

and he chooses those that

have the qualities he wants intensified,

and from

thos

e again he choo ses those that show the

desired qualities still more clea

rly, until heh asproduced aflower so different from the or

i

ginal

s

t

ock that only by tracing it b ack can you tell

the stock whence it sprang.

So is it in the application of the laws o

f

psychology that we call Yoga. Systematisedknowledge of the unfolding of consciousness

applied t

o the individualised self,

that is Yoga.

A

s

I have just said,

it is by the world that con

sc

io

u

sne

ss has been unfolded,

and the world is

admirably planned by theLOGOS forthis unfolding of consciousness

;

hence the would-be

Yogi,

choosing outhi s objects and applying his laws,

finds in the world exactly the things he wants

to make h is practice of Yoga a real ,

a vital

thing,

a quickening process for the knowledge

of th e Self.

There are many laws.

You can

choose those which you require,

you can evade

those you do not require,

you can utilise those

you need,

and thus you can bring ab

out the

r

esult that nature,

without that application


20/176

14

INTRODUCTION T o Y OGA

o

f human intelligence,

cannot so

swiftly

c

fi

e

c

t

.

Take it,

then,

that Yoga is within your reach,

within your powers,

and that even some oft

h

e

lower practices of Yoga,

some o

f the simpler

a

pplicationso f the laws of the unfoldingo f

c

on

s

c

i

o

u

s

n

e

s

s to yourself, will benefit you in thi

s

world as well a s in all others.

Fory

ou

a

r

e

really merely quickening your growth,

your

unfolding,

taking advantage of the powersnature

puts within your hands,

and deliberatelye

l

i

mi

n

ating the conditions which wouldnot help youinyour work

,

but rather hinder your march forward.

Ify

o

u

se

e

it in that light,

it seemst

o me that

Yoga will be to you a far more real,

practical

thing,

than i t i s wheny

ou merely read some

fragments about it t aken fromS am

s

k

r

t

books,

and often mistranslated into English,

andy

o

u

will begin to feel that to be

a Yogi i s not

necessaril

y a thing for a life faro

fi

,

an incarna

tion far removed from the present one

.

M

A

N

AD

UAL

ITY

Someo

f

the terms used inYoga are necessarily

t

o

b

e

known.

F

o

r

Yoga takes man for a specialpurpose and studies him for a speciale nd,

and,


21/176

T

H

E

NATUREo

r YOGA 1

5

therefore,

only troubles itself about two great

facts regarding man,

Mind and Body.

First, hei

s

a Unit,

a Unit of consciousness.

That is a

po

int to be de finitely graspe d. There is only

one of him in each s et of envelopes,

and some

times the Theosophist has to revise his ideas

about man when he b egins this practicalline

.

Theosophy,

quite us

efully and righ

tly,

f

o

r the understanding of the humanc o

n

s

t

it

u

tion,

divides man into many parts and pieces.

We talk of physical,

astral,

mental,

etc . Or

we talk about S

t

h

fi

l

a Sharira,S

fi

k

s

h

m

a

Sharira,

K

aranaSharira,

and so on.

Sometimes

we divide man intoAnnamay

a

k

os

h

a

,

Pra

nam

a

y

a

k

o

sh

a

,

M

a

no

m

a

y

a

kosh

a

,

etc.

We divide

ma

n

into so many pieces,

in order to studyhi

m

thoroughly, that we can hardly find the manbecause of the pieces. This is

,

so to say,

f

o

r

the study of human anatomy and physiology.

But Yoga is pr actical and psychological.

I

am n o t complaining of the various subdivisions

of other systems. They are necessary for thepurpose of those systems

.

But Yoga,

for its

practical purposes,

considers man simply as a

dualityMind and Body,

aUnit of consciousne

ss

in a set of envelopes.

This isnot the duality of

the Self and theNo

t

-Self.

For in Yoga,

Self


22/176

1

6


i

ncludes consciousnessp

l

us such matter a

s

it

c

a

nnot distinguish from i tself,

andNot-

Selfi

s

o

nlyt

h

e

matter

it canput aside.

Manis

not pureSelf,

pure consciousness

,

Sam

v

i

t

.

Th a t i s an abstraction.

In the concr

e

te

unive

rse

there are always the Self and his

sheaths, however tenuous the latter may be, sothat a unit of consciousness is inseparable fro

m

matter,

a n d a Jivat

m

a orMona

d,

is inv

ariably

c

o

ns

ciousnessp

l

u

s matter.

In order that this may comeou

t clearly,

two

terms are used in Yoga as constituting manPr

a

na and Pradhana,

life-breath and matter.

PT

a

n

a

is n

o

t

only the life-breaths of the bod

y,

but the totality of the life-forceso f the universe,

or,

in other words,

the life-side of the universe.

I am Prana,

saysIndra. Prana here meansthe totality of the life-forces

.

They are takenas

consciousness,

mind.

Prad

hana is the term use

d

for matter.

Body,

or the Opposite of mi

nd,

meansfo

r the Yogi in practice,

so much of the

a

ppropriated matter of the outer world as hei s

able to put away from himself,

to distinguish

fr

om his ownc

onsciousness

.

This

divis

ion is very significant and useful,

if

y

o

u

can ca

tc

h clearly hold of the root idea.

Of

c

ours

e,

loo

king

at t he thing fr

om be

ginningt o


23/176

THE

NATURE OF YOGA 1 7

end,

you will see Prana,

the gr eat Life,

the

great Self, always present in all, and youwillsee the envelope

s,

the bodies,

the sheaths,

prese

nt

at thedi fie

r

e

n

t

stages,

takingd ifierent

forms;

but from

the standpoint of Yogic practice,

that

is called Pra

na,

or Self,

with which the man

identifies himself for the time, including everysheath of matter from which the man is unable

t

o separate himself in consciousness.

That unit,

to the Yogi is the Self,

sot hat it is a changing

quantity.

As he drops off one sheath aftera

n

O

ther and says : That is not myself, he i

s

coming nearer and nearertoh is highest point,

to consciousness in a single film,

in a single

atom of matter,

a Monad.

For all practica

l pur

pos

eso

f Yoga,

the man,

the working,

conscious

man,

is so much of him as he cannot separate

from the matter enclosing him,

or with which

h e i s c

onnected.

Only that is body which the

man is able to put aside and say Thisis not

I,

butm

ine.

We find we have a whole series

of terms in Yoga which may be repeated over

and over again.

All the states of mind exist on

e

very plane,

saysV

ya

ss

,

and this way of dealing

with man enables the same significant words,

as

w

e

shall see i n a moment, to be used overa

n

d

o

ver again,

with an ev

er subtler connotation2


24/176

1

8

INTRODUCTION To

YOGA

they all become relative,

and are equally true at

e

ach stageo f evolution.

No w i t i s quite clear that,

so fara

s

many of

u

s

are concerned,

the physicalbO

d

y

is

the only

thing of which we can say It isnot myself

so that,

inthe practice of Yoga at first,

for you,

all the words that wouldbe used in it to describethe states of co nsciousness

,

the stat

es of mind,

would deal with the waking consciousne s s i n

t

h

e

bodyas

the lowest state,

and,

rising upfr

om

that,

all the words would be relative ter

ms

,

implying a dist i nct and recognisable state of

the mind in relation to that which is the lowest.

In order to know how you shall beginto apply

to yourselves the various terms used to describe

the states of mind,

you must carefully analyse

yourown consciousness,

and find outh ow much

of it is

really consciousness,

andh ow muchis

matter so clos

ely appropriated thaty

o

u cannot

sep

arate

it from yourself.

STATES OFM

IND

Let us takei t In detail. Four states of con

s

c

i

o

u

s

n

es

s

are spokeno famongstu

s

.

W

aking,

o

r

Jagrat

th e d

ream

consciousness, orS

v

a

p

n

a

the deep Slee

p consciousness,

o

r

S

u

s

hu

p

t

i


25/176


26/176

2

0

IN

TRODUCTION TOY

O

G

A

conditions of each world. But the same words

are repeated inth ebookso

f

Yoga with a differentcontext.

There the di fficulty occurs ,

i f we

have not learned their

relative nature.

S

v

a

p

n

a

i

s

not the same for all,

n

or isS

o

S

h

u

p

t

i

the same

f

o

r every one.

Above all, the word Samad

hi, tobe explainedin a moment

,

is used indifiere

n

t

ways and in

different senses. How then are we to findo

ur

way in this apparent tangle By knowing the

state which i s the starting point,

and then the

sequence will always be the same. Allo f youare familiar with the waking consciousness

in

the physical body.

Yo

u can find four states

even in that ify

o

u analyse it,

and a simil

ar

sequ

ence o f

the stateso f the mind is found on

every plane.

H

o

w

to di stinguish them,

then Let us take

the waking consciousness,

and tryt o see the four

states i n that.

Suppose I takeup

a book and

read it.

I read the words my eyes are related

to the outer phys

ical consciousness. That i s

theJa

grat

state.

I go beh ind the wordst o the

meaning of the words.

Ihave passed from the

waking stat

e of the physica

l plane into the

S

v

a

p

n

a stateo

f

waking consciousness, that seesthro

u

gh the outer fo r

m,

seeking the inner life.


27/176

T

H

E

NATURE

OF YOGA 2 1

I pas

s from this to the mind of the writer here

t h e mi

nd touches the mi

nd; it is the wakingconsciousness in its S

u

s

h

u

p

t

i state.

I

f I pass

from this contact and enter the very mindo f

the writer,

and live in that mans en I

ha

ve reached theT

uriya state of the w ag

co

nsciousness.

Take another illustration.

Ilook at my wa

tch

I a

m

inJagrat

.

I close my eyesand make an

image o f the watch

;

I am in S vap

n

a

.

I call

together many ideas of many watches,

and reach

the ideal watch; I am in S

u

s

h

u

p

t

i

. I passt othe idea of time in the abstract Iam in

T

uriya.

But all these are stages

in the physical plane

consciousne

ss Ihave not left the body.

In this way,

you can make stateso

f mind

intelligible and real,

instead of mere words.

SAMAD

HI

Some other impo

rtant words which recur from

time to time in the Y

o

g

a

S

ti

g

m

a

,

needtob e

understood,

though there areno exactE nglish

equivalents.

A

S they must be used t o avoid

clumsy circumlocutions,

it is necessaryt

o

explain

them.

It is said Yoga is Samadhi.

Samad

hi

is a state i n which the consciousness i s .

so


28/176

2

2 INTRODUCTION To

YOGA

dissociate

d from

th ebody that the latter

re

mains

insensible. It is a state of trance,

inwhich the

mind is fully self-consciou

s,

though the body is

insensitive,

and from which the mind

returns to

the body with the experiences it has had in the

super-physical state,

remembering them when

again immersed in the physical brain.

Samadhifor any one perso n i s r e l

ative to his waking

consciousness

,

but implies insens

itiveness of the

body.

If an ordinary person throws himself into

tr

ance and is

active on

the astral plane,

his

Samadh i i s on the astral. Ifh is consciousnessis f

u

nctioning in them ental plane,

hi

s Sam

a

dhii

s

there.

Th e man wh o c anso withdraw from

the body as

to

leave it insensitive,

while h is

mind is

fully self-c

onscious,

can practise

The phraseYoga i s Samadhi covers fac

ts

o

f the highest significance and greatestinstruc

tion.

Suppose you are only able to reach the

astral world wheny

o

u

are asleep,

your con

s

c

i

o

u

s

n

ess

there i s,

as

we have seen,

in the

Sva

p

n

a

state.

But as y

o

u slowly unfold your

powe

rs,

the astral form s begin to intrude upon

your waking physical consciousness,

untilthey

a

ppe

ar as d

istinctly a

s

dophysical forms

,

an

d

thusbe

c

omeObjects

ofyourwakingco

nso

l

o

usn

e

ss


29/176

T

HE NATURE

o

r

YOGA 23

T

h

e astral world then,

for you,

no l

onger

be

longs to theS

v

a

p

na

consciousness,

but tot

h

e

Jagrat

you have taken two worlds within thescopeo f yourJagra

t

conscious

nessthe physica

l

and the astral worlds

and the mental world is

inyourS vap

n

a consciousnes

s.

Your bodyi

s

then the physical and the astral bodies takentog

ether. As you go on,

the menta

l planebegin

s

similarly to intrude itself,

and the physica

l,

astr

al

and mental all come within your waking cons

ci

o

u

s

n

ess

;

all these are,

then,

your

J

agrat

world.

These three worlds form but one world to youtheir three corresponding bodies but onebody

,

that perceives and acts.

The three bodies ofV

the ordinary manhave become one body for the

Yo

gi.

If under these conditions you want to

s

ee only one world at a time, you must fix youratt

e

ntion on it,

and thus focus it.

You can,

in

that state of enlarged

waking,

concentrate

your

attention on the physical and see it then the

a

st

ral and mental will appear haz y.

So you

can focus your attention On the astral andse

e

it;

then the physical and the mental,

beingo ut

of focus,

will appea

rdim

.

You will easily under

s

ta

n

d this,

if you rememberthat,

in this hall,

I

may focus my sight in the middle of the hall,

when the pillars on bo

th sides will appear


30/176

24 INTRODUCTION To

YO

GA

indistinctly.

Or I may concentrate my attention

o

n

a pillar and see it distinctly, but I then seeyou only vaguely at the same time .

It is a

change o

f focus,

n

o

t

a change of body.

R

e

member that all which you can put a sidea

s not

yourself is the body of the Yogi,

and hence,

as

y

o

u go higher, the lower bodies form but a Singlebody

,

and the consciousness in that sheath of

matter which it still cannot throw away,

that

becomes the man.

Yoga is Samadhi.

It is thep

ower to with

draw from all that you know as body, and toconcentrate yourself within

.

That is Samadhi.N

O

ordinary mean

s will then call youb ac

k

t

o

th e world thaty

o

u have left.

1 This will also

explain to you the phrase inT he

S

e

cr

e

t

Do

c

t

ri

ne

that the Adept begins his Samadhi o n thea

t

m

i

c

plane.

When a Jivanmukta enters into

Sama

d

hi,

He begins it o n the at

m

i

c

plane.

All planes below the at

m

i

c are one plane for

Him.

He begins His Samadhi o n a planet

o

which the mere man cannot rise.

He begins

it on the a

t

mic plane,

and thence rises

stage by stage t o the higher cosmic planes.

1

A

n Ind

ia

n Yo

g

i in

Samad

hi,

d

is

c

o

vered

i

n a

forest byso

m

e

ign

ora

n

t

and

br

u

ta

lE n

glis

hmen

,

w

a

s

so v

io

l

ent

ly illused that he returnedt o his tortured body , onlyt o leavei ta

g

ai

n

at on

c

eby

death.


31/176

THE NATURE

OF YOGA 2 5

The s

ame word,

Sama

dhi,

i s used to describe

the states o

f

the consciousness,

whether it riseabove the physical into the astral,

as inthe self

induced tranc eo

f

an ordinary man,

or,

as in the

c ase o f aJ

i

v

anm

uk

t

a

,

when,

the consciousness

be

ing already centred in the fifth,

o

r a

t

m

i

c

,

plane, it rises t o the higher planes of a largerworld

.

TH

E LITERATUREor Y

OGA

Unfortunately for non S

a

m

s

k

r

t

knowingp

eople,

the literat

ure o

f Yoga is not largely

available in English.

The general teachings of

Yoga are t

o

be found in theU

p

am

s

h

a

i

s

,

and

theB hag

a

r

a

d

-

G

i

fi

i those,

in many translations,

a

r

e within your reach,

but they are general,

notspecial

;

they give you the main principles,

but do

not tell you about the methods in any detailed

way. Even in the

B

h

a

g

ac

a

d

-

G

i

g

c

i

,

while you

are toldt

o make sacrifices

,

to

becom

ei

n

difi

e

r

e

n

t

,

an d so on,

it i s all o

f

the nature of moral

precept,

absolutely necessary indeed,

but still

not tellingy

o

u howt o

reach the conditions put

before you. The special literature o f

Yogai s,

fi

rst of all,

many of the minorU

p

an

i

s

h

a

t

s

,

thehundred-and-eight as they are called.

Few of


32/176

2

6

INTRODUCTION To YOG

A

th

ese are translated.

1 Thencomest

h

e

enorm

ous

mass of literature called theT

an

g

-

as

.

The

s

ebooks have an evil significance inthe ord

inary

English ear,

but not quite rightly.

TheT

an

y

a

s

are very useful books ,

very valuable a

n

d

instructive;

all occult science is t

o

be foundin

them.

But they are divisible into three classes:those that deal with white

m

agic,

thos

e tha

t

deal with black magic,

and those that deal with

what we may call greym

agic,

a mixture of the

two. Now magic is the word which covers

the methods of deliberately bringing abouts

uper-normal physical states,

by the action of

the will.

A high tension o f the nerves,

brought on by

anxiety or disease,

leads to o rdinary hysteria

,

emotional and foolish . A Similarly high tension,

brought ab out by the will ,

renders am

a

n

s

ensitiv

et

o

super-physical vibrations.

Going to

sleeph

a

s

no significance,

but going intoSamadhiis

a priceless power.

The process i s lar

gely the

s

ame,

b ut o ne i s d u e t o ordinary conditions,

the other to.

the actionof thetrained will.

The

1

D

r

. O

tt

o

S

c

hr

a

der,

Director o f the Ad

yarL ibra

ry,

isnow

en

g

a

g

ed

o

n t

hes

e,

a

n

d

i

s busy with t he

labor

iou

sta

sko

f

c

ons

t

ru

c

t

in

g

a

c

rit

ic

a

lt ext,

to be follo

wed by a

c

o

mp

lete

translation, copiously annotated.

A

great boon will havebeen

besto

wed

on

a

l

l int

erested in Samskr

t litera

ture,

whent

his wo

r

k i

s

co

mp

leted.


33/176


34/176

2

8 INTRODUCTION To

YOGA

body.

Knowing the one helps you to know the

other,

and the teacher who has been through itall can place his pupilo n the right path b

u

t

if

you take up these words,

which are all physical,

and do n ot know t

o

W

hat the physical word is

applied,

then you will only become very confus

ed,

and may injure yourselves.

For instance, ino

n

e

o

f the sutras it says that if you meditateon

a certain part of the tonguey

o

u will obtain

astral sight. That means that if youm editate

o

n the pituitary body,

just over this part of the

tongue, astral sigh t will be opened. The parti

onlar word u se d to refer to a c entre has a

correspondence in the physical body,

and the

word is often applied to the physical organs

when the other ism

eant.

This is what isC

alled

a blind ,

and it is intendedt o keep the people

away from dangerous practices in the books that

are published;

people may meditate o n that

parto

f their tongues all their livesw ithout any

thing coming o

f

it but if they think upon the

corresponding centre in the body,

a good deal- much harmmay comeo f it Meditate on

th e n av

el it is also said .

This means the

solar plexus,

f

o

r

there is a close co nnection

between th etw

o

.

Butt

o

meditate on that is toincur the danger

o

f a serious nervous disorder,


35/176

THE NATU

RE OF YOGA 29

almost impossible to cure.

All who know how

many people in India suf

fer through thesepractices,

ill understood,

recognise that it is not

w ise

to plunge into them without some onet

o

tell you what they mean,

and what may be

safely practised and what not . The other part

of the Yoga l iterature is a small book calledT

h

e

S

fit

m

s o

f

P

a

t

afi

j

a

l

i

.

Thati s available,

but

I am afraidthat few are able tom

ake much of

it by themselves.

In the first place,

to elucidate

the S

fi

t

r

a

s

,

which are simply headings,

therei

s

a great deal o f commentary inS

a

m

s

k

r

t

, onlypar

t

ially translated. And even the oommen

taries have this peculiarity,

that all the most

difficult words are merely repeated,

notexplained,

so

that the student is not much enlightened.

SOME DE

FINITIONS

There are a few words,

constantly recurring,

which need brief de finitions,

inordert

o

avoid

confusion;

they are unfolding ,

evolution,

spirituality,

psychism,

yoga,

and mysticism.

Unfolding always refers to consciousness,

evolution to forms. Evolution,

according to

Herbert Spencer,

is the homogeneousbecoming

the heterogeneous,

the simple becoming complex.


36/176

3

0

I

NTRODUCTIONTO

Y

OG

A

But there isno growth and nop

e

r

f

e

c

t

i

o

n

in

g

for

Spirit,

f

o

r

consciousness;

i t i s a l l t h ere andalways,

and all that can happen to iti sto

turn

i

tself outwards instead of remaining turned

inwards.

The God in y

o

u cannot evolve,

b ut H e may Show forth His powers through

matter that He has appropriated for the purpo

s

e,

and the matt

er evo

lves to serve Him.

He

Himself o nly manifests what He is.

And on

that,

many a s aying of the great Mystics may

comet

o

your mind: Become,

saysS.

Ambrose,

what you are

paradoxical phrase, butoneth

a

t s u m s u p a g r e at truth: become in outer

manifestation that which you are in inner

reality.

That is the object of the wholep

r

oc

es

s

o

f

Yoga .

Sp

irituality is the realisation of the One.

Psychism is the manifestation of intelligence

through any material vehicl e.1

Yoga is the seeking of union by thein

te

l

l

e

c

t

,

a science Mysticism is the seekin

g of

the same union by emotion.2

1

S

e

e

L

o

n

d

on

L

e

c

tu

r

es o

f

19

0

7

.

S

p

iritua

lit

y a

n

d

2

T

h

e

wo

rd yog

a

m

a

y

,

o

f

co

urse,

be rig

htlyus

edo

f

a

l

l

u

n

ion

wit

ht

h

e S

elf,

whatevert he road taken

I

a

m

u

sin

g

i

t here i n the narrower s ense , as peculiarly connectedw itht

h

e

i

nt

ellig

en

c

e,

as

a

science,

herein follow ing

P

a

t

a

fi

j

al

i.


37/176

THE NATU RE OF YOGA 3 1

See the Mystic.

He fixesh

is mind o n th e

object o

f

devotion; he loses se

lf-

consciousn

ess

,

and pas

ses into a rapture o

f love and ador

a

ti

on,

leaving all external ideas

,

wrapped in the

object of his love,

and a great surge of emotion

sweeps him up toGod.

He doesnot know how

he h as reached that lofty state.

He is co nscious only of God andhi slov e for Him

.

Here

is the raptureo

f theMystic,

the triumpho

f

t

h

e

Saint.

The Yogi does not work like that.

Step

a

f

ter step, he realises what he i s doing. Heworks by science and not by emotion

,

s

o

that

any who do n ot carefor science,

finding it dull

and dry,

are not at pres

ent unfolding that part

of their nature which will find its best help i n

the practiceo f Yoga . The Yogi mayu se devotion as a means

.

This comeso ut

very plainly

in P at

a

fi

j

ali

.

He h as given many means

whereby Yoga may be followed,

and,

curi

o

u

s

l

y

devotion toI shvara is one o

f several

means.

There com

es out the spirit o f the scienti

fi

c

thinker. Devotiont

o

I

shvara is not forh

i

m

an end in itself,

but a means t

o

an endthe

concentratio n o f t h e mind.

You see

there at

once the difierence of spirit.

Devotion t o

I

shvara is the path of theMystic.

He atta

ins


38/176

3

2 INTRODUCTION To

YOGA

communion by that . Devotion toI

shvara as a

m

eanso

f

concentrating the mind is the scientifi

cway i n which the Yogi regards devotion. N

o

n

umber of words would have brought out the

diff

erenceo f Spirit between Yoga andMysticism

as

well a

s

this.

The one looksu

pon devotion

toI

shvara as a way of reaching the Beloved;the other looks upon it as a means of reaching

c

oncentratio

n.

T

o

the Mystic,

God in Himself

is the Object of search,

delight in Him is the

r

eason f

o

r

approaching Him,

union with Him in

consciousness is his goal ; but t o the Yogi,fix

i

ng the attention onG od is merely ane

fi

e

c

ti

ve

w

a

y

of concentrating the mind.

In t h e o n e ,

devotion is used toObtain an end;

in the other,

God is seen as the end,

andi s rea

ched directly

by rapture.

GO

D

W

ITHOUT ANDG

OD

W

ITHIN

Now that leads us to th e next p o

int,

the

relation of God without toG od with

in.

To the

Yogi,

who is the very type of Hindu

thought,

there isno definite proof ofGod save thewitness

of theS

elf within to His existence,

and his idea

of fi

nding the proof o

f

Godi s

that you shoulds

trip away from your consciousnessallli m

i

tations

,


39/176

THE NATURE

O

F

YOGA 33

and thus reach the stage where you have

pure consciousness

save a veil of the thi nnirvani c matter.

Then you kno

w that Go di s,

Soy

o

u

read in theU

p

a

n

ish

a

t

:

Whose only

pro

of i s the witnesso

f the Self.

This is very

difi

e

r

e

nt

from wester

n methods ofthought,

which

try to demonstrateG

o

d by a process of argument

.

The Hinduwill tell you that you cannotdemonstrate God by any argument or reasoning

Hei

s

above and beyond reasoning,

and although

the reason may guide you o n the way,

it will

not prove t o demonstration thatG od is. Theonly

w

a

y

you can knowH im is by diving into

yourself.

There you will findH im

,

and know

that H e i s w i thout as well as within you;

and

Yoga is a system that enables you to get rid of

everything from consciousness that is not God,save that one veil of the nirvanic atom

,

and so

t

o

know that God is ,

with an unshakable

certainty of conviction.

To the Hind u

that

inner conviction i s the only thing worthy to be

calle

d Fai th,

and this gives you the reason why

faith is said to be beyond reason,

ands o is often

confused with credulity.

Faithi s beyond reason,

because it isthe testimony of theSelfto himself,

that conviction of existence as Self,

of which

reas

onis onlyone

of the outer manifestations,

and3


40/176

3

4


the only true faith is that inner conviction,

which

no argument can either strengthen or weaken

,

of the innermost Self o fy

o

u

,

that of which alone

you are e

n

t

i

r

e

l

v

sure. It is the aim of Yoga to

enable you to reach that Self constantly,

not by

a sudden glimpse o f intuition,

)

but steadily,

unshakably, and unchangeably, and when thatSelf is reached

,

then thequestion IS

there a

G

o

d

i

can never again come into the human

mind.

CHANGES OFC ONSCIOUSNESS AND VIBRATIONSO

F MATTER

Now it is necessary to understand something

about that consciousnessw

hich is your Self,

and

about the matter which is the envelope of cons

c

i

o

u

s

n

e

s

s

,

b

u

t

which the Self soOften identifies

with himself.

The great characteristic of con

s

c

i

o

us

n

e

s

s

is change,

with a foundation of cer

ta

inty that itis.

The consciousnesso f existenc

e

never changes,

but beyond this a ll is change,

a

n

d

only by the changes does consciousness

become Self-consciousness. Consciousnessis

an

ever-changing thing,

circling round one idea

that never changes

Self-

existence.

Thec

o

n

s

c

iou

s

n

e

ss

itself is not changedby any change


41/176


42/176

36


to a change in c onsciousness .

There is n

o

change in consciousness,

howev

e

r

su

b

t

l

e

,

thathas not appropr

iated to it a vibration in matter

there i

s

no vibration,

in matter,

however swift

o

r

delicate,

which has not correlate d t o i t a

c

ertain change in consciousness. That is

the

first great work of the LOGOS, which the Hindusc

rI

p

t

ur

e

s

trace out in the building of the atom,

the T

a

n

ma

t

ra

,

the measure of That,

the

measure of consciousness. He whoi s conscious

nes

s im

poses on His material the answer to

every change in consciousness, and that is aninfinite number of vibrations. So that between

the Self and i ts sheaths there is this invariable

relation:

the change in consciousness and

the

V

ibration of matter,

andvice versa. That makes

it possible for the Self to know theNot-self .

These correspondences are utilised

inR

aj a

Yoga and Hatha Yoga,

theK ingly Yogaand

the Yoga ofR

esolve. TheR aj a Yoga seekst

o

control

the changes i n consciousness,

and by

this control to rule the material vehicles.

The

Hatha Yoga seeks to control t he vibrations

of matter,

and by th is c o ntrol to evoke the

desired changes in consc

iousness. The weak

point in Hatha Yoga is that actiono

n

this

linec

annot reach beyond t h e astralplane,

and the


43/176

THE NATURE OF YOGA 3 7

great strainimposed on the comparatively intract

able matter of the physi

cal plane s

ometimesleads to atrophyo f

the very organs,

the activity

of which is necessary for e

fi

e

c

t

i

n

g

the changes

in consciousness thatwould be useful.

The Hatha

Yogi gains control over the bodily organs with

which the waking cons ciousness no longer concerns itself

,

having relinquished them to its

lower part,

the su

b

-consc

iousness This i s

often usefulas

regards the prevention of disease,

but serves no higher purpose.

When he begins

t

o work on the brain centres, connected withordinary consciousness

,

and s till more when he

touchesthose connected with the super-conscious

ness,

he enters a dangerous region,

and is more

likely to paralyse thant

o

evolve.

That relation alone it is which makes mattercognisable the change inthe thinker is answered

by a change outs

ide,

and his answer to it,

and

the change in i t that he makes by his answer,

re-arrange againth e m atter o

f the body which

is h is envelope.

Hence the rhythmic changes

in matter are rightly called it

s cognisability.

Matte

r may be known by consciousness,

because

of this unchanging relation between the two

sides of the m

anifested LOGOS who is o ne,and the Se

lf bec

omes aware of changes

within.


44/176

3

8 INTRODUCTION To YOGA

Himself,

and thus oft

h

o

S

e o

f the external worlds

to which those changes are related.

What ism

ind

From the yogics

t

a

n

d

p

o

m

t

it is

simply the individualised consciousness, thewhole

of it,

the whole of your consciousness including

your activitieswhich the western psychologist

puts outside mind.

Only on the basis of eastern

psychology is Yoga possible .

How shallw e

describe this individualised consciousness Firstit is aware of things

.

Becoming awareo

f them,

it desires them.

D

esiring them,

it triest o attain

them . So we have the three aspects of co n

s

o

l

o

u

s

n

es

s

intelligence,

desire,

activity.

Ont he

physical plane, activityp

redominates,

althoughdesire and thought are present

.

On the astral

plane,

desire predominates,

and thought and

activity are subject to

desire.

On the mental

plane,

intelligence is

the dominant note,

desire

and activ

ity are subj ect to it.

Go to the buddhic

plane,

and cognition,

as

pure reason,

p

r

e

d

o

m

in

ates,

a

nd

s

o

on.

Each qualityi s present all the

time,

but one predominates.

So with the matter

that belongs to them.

In

your combination

s

ofm

atter you get rhythmic,

active,

or stable


45/176

THE NATURE

OF YO

GA 3 9

ones

;

and accordi

n g t o t h e c o mbinations of

matter in your bodies will be the condi

tions ofthe activity of the whole of these in conscious

ness.

To practise Yoga you must build your

bodi

es of the rhythmic combinations,

with

activity and inertia less apparent.

The Yogi

wantst o make his body match his mind.

STAGES o

r

M

IND

The mindh as five stages,

P

a

t

a

fi

j

al

i tells us,

andV

y

a

s

a comments that these stages of mindare on every plane The first stage is the

stage in which the mind is flung about,

the

K

s

h

i

p

t

a

stage;

i t i s t h e b u tterfly mind,

t

h

e

early stage of humanity,

or,

in man,

the mind of

the child, darting constantly from one objectt o

another.

I

t

corresponds to ac

tivity on t he

physical plane.

The next is the confused stage,

M

fi

d

ha

,

equivalent to the stage of the youth,

swayed by emotions,

bewildered by them;

he

begins to feel he is ignorant

a

state beyond

thefickle

n

ess

of the childa

characteristic

state,

corresponding to activity in t h e ast r al

world. Then com

es the state of preoccupation,

or infatuation,

V

i

k

s

h

i

p

t

a

,

the state

of the man

possessed by an idea

love,

ambition,

or wh

at


46/176

40 INTRODUCTION To

YOGA

not.

He is no longer a confused youth,

but a

man with a clear aim, a n d an idea pos

sesse

shim . It may be either the fixed idea of the

madman,

or the fixed idea which makes the

heroo r the saint;

buti n

any case h e is possesse

d

by the idea.

Theq

ualityo

f

the idea,

its

trutho

r falsehood, makes the difference between themaniac and

t

h

e

martyr.

Maniac or martyr,

he is under the spell of a

fixed idea. N

o

reasoninga

vails ag

ainst it . If

he has assured himself that he 1

8

made of glass,

no amount o f argument will convince him to thecontrary

.

He will always regard himself as

being a s b r i ttle a

s

glass.

That is a fixed idea

which is false.

But there is a fixed idea which

makes the hero and the martyr.

For some great

truth dearer than l ife is everything thrownaside. He is possessed by it

,

dominate

d by it,

and he goest

o

death gladly f

or

it.

That state

i

s said to be approaching Yoga,

fo

r such a man

is becoming concentrat

ed,

even if only po ssessed

byo

n

e

idea.

This stage corresponds

to activity

on the lower mental plane.

Where them an

possesses the idea,

instead o f being possessed

by it,

that on

e

-pointed state of th e mind ,

called E

k

a

g

r

a

t

a

in S

a

m

s

k

r

t

, is the fourths

tag

e.

He is a matureman

ready for the true


47/176

THE NATURE or YOGA 4 1

life.

When the man has gone through life domin

ated

byo n

e

idea, then hei

s

approachin

g Yogahe is getting rido f the gripo

f thew orld,

and is

b

eyond its allurements.

But when he possesses

that which before possessedh

im

,

then he hasb e

comefit for Yoga,

and begins thetraining which

makes his progress rapid.

Th is s tage corres

p

o

n

d

s to a

ctivity o

n

the higher mental plane.

O

u

t of this fourth stage,

or

E

k

a

g

ra

t

a

,

arises

the fifth s tage,

Nirud

d

ha

o

r

Self- controlled.

When the mannot

only possesses one idea,

but,

rising above all ideas, chooses ash e wills, takesor doe

s

not take accordingtothe illumined Will,

then he is Sel

f-controlled,

and can effectively

practise Yoga.

This stage corresponds to

activity o n the buddhic plane.

In the third stage, Vikship

t

a

,

where he is possessed by the idea

,

he is learning viveka,

o

r dis

crimination be

tween the outer and the inner,

the

real and the unreal.

When he has learnedthe

lesson of viveka,

then he advances a stage for

ward and inE

k

a

g

ra

t

a

he chooseso

n

e

idea,

the

inner life and as he fixes his mindo

n

that idea

he learns v airag

y

a

,

or dispassion.

He rises

above the desire top

ossess objects of enjoyment,

belon

ging either t

o

this or any other world.

Th en he a dvances towards the fifth sta

ge,


48/176

4

2

INTRODUCTION To

YOGA

S

elf-c

ontrolled. Inorder to reach that he must

pr

actiset

h

e

six endowments

, theS

hat

s

a

m

p

a

tt

i

.

These six endowments have to do with the Will

aspect o f consc

iousness,

as the other two,

viveka

andvairag

y

a

,

have to do with theC

ognitionand

Activity aspectso f

it.

By a study of your o wnm

ind, you canfind

out how far you are ready tobeginthe definite

practiceo f Yoga.

Examine your mind inorder

to recognise these stages in yourselves.

If

y

o

u

are in either of the two early stages,

you arenot

ready for Yoga. The child andthe youth arenot ready to become Yogis

,

nor is the pre

occupied man.

But if you find yourself pos

sessed by a single thought,

you are nearly

ready for Yoga it leads to the next stage of

one-p

ointedness,

where you can choose your idea

,

and cling to it of your own will.

Shorti s

the step from that to the complete control,

which

can inhibit all motions of the mind.

Having

reached that stage,

it is comparatively easyt

o

pass

into Samadhi.

INW

ARD AN

D

O

UTW

ARD T URNEDC

ONSCIOUSNESS

Sama

dhi is of two kinds :

one turne

d outward,

one turned inward.

The outward-turned


49/176


50/176

44 INTRODUCTION T

O

YOGA

into a sheath not yet recognis

ed as a sheath.

I

t

i

s

then for a.

while conscious only of itself andnot o f the ou

ter world.

Then comesth e clo u

d,

the dawning sense again o f

an outer,

ad

i

m

sensing of some thing o ther than itself;

that

againis followed bythe functioning of the higher

Sheath and the recognition of the objectsof thenext higher pla

n

e,

corresponding to that sheath.

H enc e the comple te cycle is S

a

m

p

r

a

j

fi

a

t

a

Sam adhi,

A

s

am

p

ra

j

fia

ta

Samadhi,

Megha

cloud)

,

and then the S

am

p

r

a

j

fia

t

a

Sama

dhi of the next

plane, and soon.

TH

E

C

LOUD

This termin full,

D

harma-Megha,

cloud of

righteousness,

or o

f

religion

is o

ne

which is

very scantily explained by the commentators.

In fa

ct,

the only explanation they give is that

all th e m ans past karma o f good gathers over

him, and pours down uponhim

a raino

f

blessing.

Let us see if we cannot find someth ing

more than this meagre interpretation.

The term cloud is very often used in the

mystic literatureo f the West the Clou d on the

Mount,

the Cloud on the Sanctuary,

theCloud on the

M

ercy-Seat,

are expressions


51/176

THE NATUREO

F YOGA 4 5

familiar to the student . And the experience

which they indicate is famili

arto allMystics ini

ts

lower phases,

an dt o some init

s

fulness.

In

its lower phases,

it is the experience just noted,

where the wi thdrawal of the consciousness

into a sheath n o t y e t recogniseda s a sheath is

followed by the beginning of the functioning ofthat sheath

,

the first indication of which is the

dim sensing of an outer. You feelas

though

surrounded by a dense mist,

conscious that you

are not alone,

but unable to see. Be still;

be

patient ; wait . Let your consciousness be in theattitude of suspense. Presently the cloud will

thin,

an dfirstin glimpses,

then in its full beauty,

the vision of a higher plane will dawno n

your

entranced sight . This entrance into a higher

plane will repeat itself again and again, until,your

c

onsciousness centredo n the buddhic plane,

and i ts splendours having disappeared as your

consciousness withdraws evenfromthat exquisite

sheath,

you find yourselfi n the true cloud,

the

cloud on the sanctuary,

the cloud that veils the

Holiest,

that hides the vision of the Self.

Then

comes what seems to be the draining away of the

very life,

th e l e tting go of the last hold on the

tangible,

thehang

i

n

g

i

n a void,

the horror of great

darkness,

loneliness unspeakable.

E

ndure,

endure.


52/176

46

INTRODUCTION To

YOGA

Every thing must go.

Nothingo

u

t

of the Eter

nal can helpyo

u

.

God only shines out in th

e

s

t

i

ll

n

e

ss

y

a

s says the Hebrew:

Be still,

and

know that I am God. In that silence aV

oice

shall be heard,

the voiceo f th e Self.

In that

stillness a Life shall be felt,

the lifeo

f th e Self.

In that void a F ulness shall be revealed, thefulness

o

f the Self.

In th at darkness a Light

Shall be seen,

the glory of the Self.

The cloud

shall vanish,

and the Shining of the Self shall

be made manifest.

That which was a glimps

e

o

f a far-off majesty shall become a perpetualrealisation

,

an d,

k

n

owI

n

g

theSelf and your unity

with it,

you Shall enter into th e Peace that

be

longs to theSelf alone.


53/176

L ECTU

R

E

I

I

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

B

ROTHERS

In studying psychology,

any one who is

acquainted with theS

a

m

s

k

r

t

tongue must know

h

o

w

valuable that lan g

uage is for precise and

scientific dealing with the subject.

The Sams

k

rt

,

o

r

the well -made,

the constructed,

the

built together,

tongue,

is one that lends itself

better than . any other to the elucidation o f

psychological difficulties. Over and over again,

by the mere form of a word, a hint is given, an explanation or relation is suggested

.

The language

is constructed in a fashion which enables a large

number of meanings to be connoted by a single

word,

sothat you may trace all allied idea

s,

o

r

truths, or facts,

by this verbal connection,

whenyou are speaking or using

S

a

m

s

k

r

t

. It has a

limite

dnumber of important roots,

and then an


54/176

48

INTRODUCTION To

YOGA

immense number o

f words constructed on those

roots.

N

ow

therooto

f the word yoga is a word that

means,

t

o

join y

u

j

,

and that root appears

in many languages,

such as the Englisho

f

course,

through the Latin,

wherein you get

j

u

g

a

r

e

,

j

a

n

g

e

r

o

,

t

o join

and o ut of that anumber ofEnglish words are derived

,

and will at

once suggest themselves to you j unction,

con

junction,

disjunction,

and s o on.

The English

word yoke,

again,

i

s derived from this same

S

a

m

s

k

r

t

root, sothat all through thevariouswords,o

r thoughts,

or facts,

connected with this one root,

you are ablet

o

gather the meaning of the word

Yoga,

and to see how much thatwor

d coversi n

the ordinary processes of the mind,

and how Sug

g

e

s

t

i

ve many of the words connected with it are,acting

,

so to speak,

as signposts to direct you

along the road tothe meaning. In other tongues,

a

s

in French,

we have a word likera

p

p

o

rt

,

u

s

ed

constantly in English being on ra

p

p

or

t

a

French expression,

but so anglicised that itis

continua

lly heard amongst ourselve

s.

And that

te

rm,

in some ways,

is the closest to the meaning

of theS

a

m

s

k

rt word Yoga to be I n relation

to to be connected with to enter into

to merge

in andso on: all these ideas are


55/176

SCHOOLS o

r THOUGHT 4 9

classified

together under the one head ofYoga.

When you fi

nd Shri

K

r

s

h

n

a

saying that Yogais equilibrium,

in the S

a

m

s

k

rt

He is saying a

perfectly obvious th ing,

becauseYoga implies

balance,

yoking,

and theS

am

s

kr

t

of equilibrium

isS

a

m

a

g

v

a

,

togetherness so that it is a pe

rfectly

simple, straightforward statement, not connotinganything very deep

,

but merely expressing one

o

f

the fundamental meanings of the word

He is using.

And so with another word,

a word

used in the commentary on the sutra I quoted

last week, which conveys to the Hindua perfectlystraightforward meaning: Yoga is Samadhi

.

To an only English-knowing person that does

not convey any very definite idea eachword

needs explanation. To aS amskr

t

-knowing man

the two words are obviously related to one another.F

o

r the wordYoga,

we have seen,

means yoked

together,

and Samadhi isderived from the root

d

h

a to place,

with the prepositionssam

and6

,

meaning completely together S

amadhi,

there

fore,

literally means fully placing together,

andits etymologi

c

al equivalent inEnglish would beto compose

com

=

s

a

m

;

p

o

sit

a

=

p

l

a

ce

)

.

Samadhi

therefore means compo

sing the mind,

collecting

it together,

checking all distractions.

Thus by

philological,

as wella

s

by practical,

investigation

4


56/176

50

INTRODUCTION TO7 YOG

A

t

h

e

t

w

o

wordsYoga andS amadhiareinsepara

bly

link

ed together.

And whenV

y

a

s

a

,

the comment.

a

tor

,

says Yoga 1 8 the composed mind,

hei

s

conve

ying a clear and significant ideaas

to

wha

t

is impliedinYoga.

AlthoughS amadhi has come

t

o

mean,

by a natu ral se quence o f idea

s,

the

trance-

state which results from perfect composure,its original meaning shouldn ot be lost sight

o

f

.

Thus,

in explaining Yoga,

o

n

e isOfte

anintroductiontoyoga

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