The first sutra: Now the discipline of Yoga

May 5, 2003

Athayoganushasanam: Now the discipline of Yoga.

Each single word has to be understood, because Patanjali will not use a single

superfluous word.

Now the discipline of Yoga.... First try to understand the word "now." This

"now" is an indication to the state of mind I was just talking to you about.

If you are disillusioned, if you are hopeless, if you have completely become

aware of the futility of all desires; if you see your life as meaningless;

whatsoever you have been doing up to now has simply fallen dead…. Nothing

remains in the future, you are in absolute despair -- what Kierkegaard calls

anguish -- you are in anguish, suffering…. Not knowing what to do, not knowing

where to go, not knowing to whom to turn, just on the verge of madness or

suicide or death, your whole pattern of life has suddenly become futile…. If

this moment has come, Patanjali says, "Now the discipline of Yoga" -- only now

can you understand the science of Yoga, the discipline of Yoga.

If that moment has not come you can go on studying Yoga: you can become a great

scholar but you will not be a yogi. You can write theses on it, you can give

discourses on it, but you will not be a yogi. The moment has not come for you.

Intellectually you can become interested, through your mind you can be related

to Yoga, but Yoga is nothing if it is not a discipline. Yoga is not a shastra;

it is not a scripture. It is a discipline, it is something you have to do. It is

not curiosity, it is not philosophical speculation. It is deeper than that -- it

is a question of life and death.

If the moment has come when you feel that all directions have become confused,

all roads have disappeared, the future is dark and every desire has become

bitter and through every desire you have known only disappointment, all movement

into hopes and dreams has ceased: Now the discipline of Yoga.

This "now" may not have come. Then I may go on talking about Yoga but you will

not listen. You can listen only if the moment is present in you. Are you really

dissatisfied? Everybody will say yes, but that dissatisfaction is not real. You

are dissatisfied with this, you may be dissatisfied with that, but you are not

totally dissatisfied. You are still hoping. You are dissatisfied because of your

past hopes but you are still hoping for the future. Your dissatisfaction is not

total: you are still hankering for some satisfaction somewhere, for some

gratification somewhere.

Sometimes you feel hopeless but that hopelessness is not true. You feel hopeless

because certain hopes have not been achieved, certain hopes have fallen away --

but hoping is still there, hoping has not fallen away. You will still hope. You

are dissatisfied with this hope, that hope, but you are not dissatisfied with

hope as such. If you are disappointed with hope as such the moment has come, and

then you can enter Yoga. And then this entry will not be an entering into a

mental, speculative phenomenon. This entry will be an entry into a discipline.

The New Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.

May 5, 2003

OM Friends of Osho

Most knowledgeable commentators on the Raja Yoga Sutras of

Patanjali translate "atha yoganusasanam" as

"Here begins the authoritative instruction on Yoga"

or

"Now Yoga is explained"

These sutras will be listened to with a disciplined intellect and

then implemented with a disciplined will, mind and body.

Yoga is union with God. Yes, that union requires the end of a

speculative mind-set and the adoption of more intuitive means of

entering into union with the Divine, but, it first takes discipline

and rationality to prepare and purify the student, before the

student is capable of entering samadhi.

The student must master the Yamas and Niyamas in thought,

word and deed, especially as applied to himself or herself. Then,

the student must master Asana and Pranayama - the ability to

remain unperturbed under all circumstances and to control

Prana. Then, the student must turn the senses inward and

renounce desire - Pratyahara. The student must develop

concentration (on God). Finally, the student is ready for

meditation and samadhi.

Suffering and hopelessness are useful only if they lead to the

aspirant's giving up reliance on his or her own resources and

instead relying on God and Guru and placing themselves in the

hands of God and Guru. This act of renouncing the ego is the key

to God Realization. One doesn't necessarily have to be

overwhelmed with suffering and hopelessness for this

renunciation of ego to take place. Souls of high evolution do this

more easily with each birth.

Om Namah Sivaya

Omprem

, Friends of Osho

<supraath> wrote:

>

> Athayoganushasanam: Now the discipline of Yoga.

>

> Each single word has to be understood, because Patanjali will

not use a single superfluous word.

>

> Now the discipline of Yoga.... First try to understand the word

"now." This "now" is an indication to the state of mind I was just

talking to you about.

>

> If you are disillusioned, if you are hopeless, if you have

completely become aware of the futility of all desires; if you see

your life as meaningless; whatsoever you have been doing up to

now has simply fallen dead…. Nothing remains in the future, you

are in absolute despair -- what Kierkegaard calls anguish -- you

are in anguish, suffering…. Not knowing what to do, not knowing

where to go, not knowing to whom to turn, just on the verge of

madness or suicide or death, your whole pattern of life has

suddenly become futile…. If this moment has come, Patanjali

says, "Now the discipline of Yoga" -- only now can you

understand the science of Yoga, the discipline of Yoga.

>

> If that moment has not come you can go on studying Yoga: you

can become a great scholar but you will not be a yogi. You can

write theses on it, you can give discourses on it, but you will not

be a yogi. The moment has not come for you. Intellectually you

can become interested, through your mind you can be related to

Yoga, but Yoga is nothing if it is not a discipline. Yoga is not a

shastra; it is not a scripture. It is a discipline, it is something you

have to do. It is not curiosity, it is not philosophical speculation. It

is deeper than that -- it is a question of life and death.

>

> If the moment has come when you feel that all directions have

become confused, all roads have disappeared, the future is dark

and every desire has become bitter and through every desire you

have known only disappointment, all movement into hopes and

dreams has ceased: Now the discipline of Yoga.

>

> This "now" may not have come. Then I may go on talking about

Yoga but you will not listen. You can listen only if the moment is

present in you. Are you really dissatisfied? Everybody will say

yes, but that dissatisfaction is not real. You are dissatisfied with

this, you may be dissatisfied with that, but you are not totally

dissatisfied. You are still hoping. You are dissatisfied because

of your past hopes but you are still hoping for the future. Your

dissatisfaction is not total: you are still hankering for some

satisfaction somewhere, for some gratification somewhere.

>

> Sometimes you feel hopeless but that hopelessness is not

true. You feel hopeless because certain hopes have not been

achieved, certain hopes have fallen away -- but hoping is still

there, hoping has not fallen away. You will still hope. You are

dissatisfied with this hope, that hope, but you are not dissatisfied

with hope as such. If you are disappointed with hope as such the

moment has come, and then you can enter Yoga. And then this

entry will not be an entering into a mental, speculative

phenomenon. This entry will be an entry into a discipline.

>

> The New Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.

>

May 5, 2003

You are very correct and the interpretation given for 'Now' was completely

wrong. I hope the commentator will take note of your words. Nothing more to say

in this regard as any advise may not be taken in the right spirit. chandra hari

omprem <omprem wrote:OM Friends of Osho