Guest guest Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 I sent this query to Bhurijan Prabhu who due to physical difficulty in using computers referred it to Adipurusa Prabhu who teaches under his guidance in Vrindavana. Here's Adipurusa Prabhu's reply. > > (1) So why is jnaana-yoga a step higher than karma yoga, if j~naana- > > yoga is impersonal while karma-yoga is devotional? Please remember that, although the culmination of all the yogas is bhakti, not everybody may see it as his goal. Again, a devotee, whose goal is pure bhakti, may be going in his inner development through a lower rung of yoga, akin to karma-yoga, WITHIN the school of bhakti. In this case, karma-yoga of a devotee is higher in ultimate sense than jnana-yoga of a non-devotee, even though his personal level of realization may not be as high (practically, he may not be as detached and knowledgable). In other words, one can go through the yoga-ladder within the school of bhakti or without, and from there comes all the confusion in terms. Some definitions are about x-yoga within bhakti, some are about x-yoga without bhakti. I believe this answers also your other questions. > > (5) What, then, is the relationship and the exact definitions of > > buddhi-yoga and niShkaama-karma-yoga? If niShkaama-karma-yoga is action > > combined with j~naana, then why is buddhi-yoga defined as > > niShkaama-karma-yoga + j~naana when niShkaama-karma-yoga already has > > j~naana in it? Is this not redundant? Let's recap: sakama-karma-yoga = work + renunciation of some fruits, attachment to work niskama-karma-yoga = work + renunciation of ALL the fruits + attachment to work + dawning of realized knowledge jnana-yoga = detachment, no attch to any specific work, therefore work may are may not be there, + realized knowledge/awareness of the spiritual reality, which gradually congeals into a meditation at the next stage dhyana-yoga = detachment, knowledge, meditation (work may or may not be there depending on the school) bhakti-yoga: detachment, knowledge, meditation, love, work for Krsna Term "buddhi-yoga" points to the fact that the practitioner is highly conscious of all his actions, or rather their motives and aims. Thus this term can cover a wide range of rungs on the yoga-ladder, but is especially relevant for those nearing niskama-karma-yoga and jnana-yoga rungs, because that's the element they need to master now (awareness). Hope this helps, Your servant apd (Text PAMHO:7053671) ------ ------- End of Forwarded Message ------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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