Patanjali, was Samatha

[Guest guest]

Hi Bob,

>There is indeed a lot in Patanjali!! You are right to point that

>out. I have five translations now, the latest being by B K S Iyengar.

>Georg Feuerstein's is my favorite. The first I read was Alice

>Bailey's. Her books are very obscure to me. Now i know.! When I

>read Light of the Soul three times over a five year period I thought

>it was just me. Vivekananda is very technique oriented and helpful.

>

>Ramacharaka, I don't believe is a real translation as much as

>insights about Raja Yoga. It was a gem for me though and touched me

>deeply. Vivekanada described the technique of pranayama outlined by

>him as dangerous without the guidance of a guru. I agree.

 

You know, the _Yoga Sutras_ itself is quite short. When you buy someone's

version, what you get is a translation of each verse (sutra), followed by

his commentary on the verse. I can see how, if you didn't happen to notice

this, the versions might seem confusingly different - not like the same

book at all!

 

Alice Bailey's books (most of which are channeled from Djwhal Kuhl, the

Tibetan) are not easy to read because they are dense, packed full of

information. And also because they are written on various levels -

something for everyone, I guess. And the more difficult or advanced books

depend on the explanation of planes and types of energies that is in the

easier or introductory books. To read one of the advanced books without

knowing the basic theory and terms is like trying to read a scholarly Hindu

or Buddhist author without any knowledge of planes and chakras and without

knowing any of those pesky Sanskrit words! ) The best place to start on

those books is with either _Letters on Occult Meditation_ or _Esoteric

Psychology_, especially Vol. II.

 

Here's what I wrote (in a book list for a meditation group) about the

DK/Bailey book and Satchidananda's version:

>The Light of the Soul

> by Alice A. Bailey, Lucis Publishing Company, 1927.

>

> A translation and commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the

>early teacher who was the first to write down the teaching on Raja Yoga

>and is regarded as the founder of that school. Western authorities

>estimate the date of his birth at from 820 B.C. to 300 B.C. or even after

>Christ. Hindu authorities say he lived much earlier.

> According to Bailey, the translation is D.K.'s work and the

>commentary is hers, "subjected to revision and comment by the Tibetan."

> The translation, Bailey says, is not literal and does not define

>each Sanskrit term. "It is an attempt to put into clear and understandable

>English the exact meaning...." I find it quite clear and easy to read.

> The commentary is extensive, offering thorough explanations but

>sometimes more than you really wanted to read. Those who appreciate the

>D.K. books will be glad to have this book.

> The Yoga Sutras is a classic that you should own. You won't read

>through it quickly but will study one section at a time and go back to it

>again time and again through the years.

> $14 in paperback.

>-

>

>The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

> Translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda, Integral Yoga

>Publications, Yogaville, Va., 1978.

>

> This translation of Patanjali is not always as clear as D.K.'s

>work, but perhaps more exact, and just before each sutra it gives the

>translation of the more important Sanskrit words.

> The commentary is based on Satchidananda's teachings in lectures

>and at retreats, and it sounds like a teacher talking to his students.

>It's easy to read and full of stories that anyone can understand.

> A wonderful book for a new student of meditation. However, with

>some of the sutras on more advanced subjects, he simply offers no

>commentary.

> $12.95 in paperback.

 

Here's an example of how the translations are likely to be very close, but

the commentaries can be extremely different. This is the verse on ahimsa

from the two versions I mentioned.

>From Patanjali's _Yoga Sutras_, the verse on ahimsa, harmlessness or

non-violence

>

>II.35

>

> AHIMSA PRATISTHAYAM TAT SAMNIDHAU VAIRA TYAGAH.

>

> Ahimsa = non-violence; pratishthayam = having

> established; tat = in his; samnidhau = presence;

> vaira = hostility; tyagah given up.

> - by Satchidananda

>

> In the presence of one firmly established in

> non-violence, all hostilities cease.

> - translation by Satchidananda

>

> In the presence of him who has perfected

> harmlessness, all enmity ceases.

> - translation by Djwhal Kuhl

>

> Starting with this thirty-fifth Sutra, Patanjali covers the ten virtues

>one by one. When the vow of ahimsa is established in someone, all enmity

>ceases in his or her presence because that person emits harmonious

>vibrations. If two people who have enmity between them come to such a

>person, they will temporarily forget it. That is the benefit of ahimsa.

>When it is practiced continuously in thought, word and deed for some time,

>the entire personality brings out those vibrations.

> Even wild animals forget their nature of causing pain in the presence

>of one established in ahimsa. In ancient Hindu mythology, it states that in

>the forests where the saints and sages lived practicing ahimsa, the animals

>would only kill when they were hungry. At other times, a cow and a tiger

>could drink water side by side. Lord Buddha cultivated this practice.

>Wherever he went he brought peace, harmony and friendliness. St. Francis is

>another great example of this. Mahatma

>Gandhi tried his best to practice and propagate ahimsa, bringing many

>people together. Of course, there were failures in his efforts, but he

>would admit, "I am still trying. I am still not that perfect." His entire

>life was based on the vows of ahimsa and satya. Even without obtaining one

>hundred percent perfection in them, he earned a great name throughout the

>world as an apostle of peace. Perhaps if Gandhi's practice had been

>perfected, his assassin might have forgotten the idea of shooting Gandhi

>when he came into Gandhi's presence. So, even with a little perfection,

>Gandhi was admired and revered by the entire world. Even a bit of ahimsa is

>enough to elevate us to a higher state.

> - Satchidananda

>

> This sutra demonstrates to us the working out of a great law. In Book

>IV. Sutra 17, Patanjali tells us that the perception of a characteristic,

>of a quality and of an objective form is dependent upon the fact that in

>the perceiver similar characteristics, qualities and objective capacity are

>to be found. This similarity is the basis of perception. The same truth is

>hinted at in the first Epistle of St. John where the words are found "We

>shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is." Only that can be

>contacted which is already present or partially present in the perceiver's

>consciousness. If enmity and hatred are therefore to be found by the

>perceiver, it is because in him the seeds of enmity and hatred are present.

>When they are absent naught but unity and harmony exists. This is the first

>stage of universal love, the practical endeavour on the part of the

>aspirant to be at one with all beings. He begins with himself and sees to

>it that the seeds of harmfulness in his own nature are eradicated. He

>deals, therefore, with the cause which produces enmity towards him and

>others. The natural result is that he is at peace and others are at peace

>with him. In his presence even wild beasts are rendered impotent and this

>by the condition of the mind-state of the aspirant or yogin.

> - A.A. Bailey & D.K.

 

You said:

>Ramacharaka, I don't believe is a real translation as much as

>insights about Raja Yoga.

 

I'm not familiar with this version, but I suspect you're referring to his

commentary here. The actual translation would be the first line or so in

each section or verse.

>It was a gem for me though and touched me

>deeply. Vivekanada described the technique of pranayama outlined by

>him as dangerous without the guidance of a guru. I agree.

 

Sounds like this technique of pranayama is from Ramacharaka's commentary,

offered as an elaboration or explanation of Patanjali. Yes, for advanced

pranayama one needs a teacher. And yet the best teacher is always the

inner teacher, the spiritual guru - and some people who have clear

perception in some form of the inner guru are guided by him/her even into

advanced pranayama. On the night my guru awakened my Kundalini, I found my

body doing things that I recognized as advanced pranayama. I trusted my

guide implicitly, so I didn't try to stop it, just let it happen. But it

wasn't something I read about and then just decided to sit down and do! )

>The thing most impressive to me about Patanjali is his

>comprehensivity. When he mentioned fluctuations of consciousness he

>included them all. Sleep, memory, valid cognition, misconception,

>and conceptualization. In other words if you have a thought it will

>be in one of these categories. What a great aid to meditation to be

>able reduce the confusion of a jumble of thoughts and to see arising

>thoughts in a category.

 

Yes, for a teacher - and a learner too - categories are immensely helpful.

But to always work to see things in categories is counter-productive - I

think it will tie you to the mental plane.

 

Reminds me of the process of learning and performing a piece of music. You

have to learn every note, every fingering... you have to practice each

little thing over and over, perhaps at different rates of speed. But

finally, when you perform, you have to forget all of that... you have to

let it sink from your awareness and operate automatically. Then you are

free to really play the music, to express yourself freely in the music.

>When he mentioned distractions he lists them all. If you are

>distracted you can go down the list to find it.

 

At the performance level, the lists and categories ARE distractions.

 

Love,

Dharma

[Guest guest]

-

hamsayogini (AT) aol (DOT) com

Sunday, August 19, 2001 6:51 AM

Patanjali, was Re: Samatha

Which is why it is important to know Sanskrit, equally so with the

deeper meanings of Sanskirt.Om Santi ...Yogini Sakti"sanskirt,"

meaning, the naked truth?

/join

All paths go

somewhere. No path goes nowhere. Paths, places, sights, perceptions,

and indeed all experiences arise from and exist in and subside back

into the Space of Awareness. Like waves rising are not different than

the ocean, all things arising from Awareness are of the nature of

Awareness. Awareness does not come and go but is always Present. It

is Home. Home is where the Heart Is. Jnanis know the Heart to be the

Finality of Eternal Being. A true devotee relishes in the Truth of

Self-Knowledge, spontaneously arising from within into It Self.

Welcome all to a.Your use of is subject

to the