Philosophy
Samkhya
Around 800 B.C.E. the age of philosophy arose almost simultaneously throughout the ancient world. In Greece, the Middle East, India,
and China the sages, who were always the inward-looking began to think about the way we think. Prior to this time, all religious
practices were outwardly focused. The tools of religion, the rituals, and sacrifices were designed to barter and bargain with the
elements of nature and the gods. The assumption was - if we conducted these sacrifices for the benefits of the gods, they would be
pleased, and in turn would do us favors. The favors sought were of three kinds: rewards of health, wealth, and progeny. We all want
to be healthy, to have lots of money, and lots of children. Enlightenment, three thousand years ago, was not a goal. At best one might
hope to be taken to a heavenly reward after this life, but even this was a later religious invention.
With the dawning of philosophy, the focus turned inward. The external powers of nature were seen as reflections of the inner world,
and vice versa. External sacrifices and rituals became internalized. No longer were the gods out there; they were metaphors for what
was happening in here. No longer did you need a priest to talk for you to the divine - the divine already resided inside you; you needed
to do the work yourself. A map to self-realization, or more correctly Self-realization, was required to help guide you on the path,
but you had to walk the path.
One such map became very influential in India around the time of the Buddha. It explained the inner and outer workings of the mind and
the world. While the map didn't answer all the questions, and everyone did not accept some of the answers it did produce, it was the
most comprehensive model yet devised. It became the foundation for yogic and Buddhist cosmology. It was the Samkhya psychocosmological
model.
We will leave it to the historians to argue whether Samkhya created this model, and thus can be considered the father of the yogic model
that followed it, or whether there was an earlier version from which both Samkhya and yoga evolved, thus making the two brothers,
rather than father and son. For our purposes it is enough to know that both Samkhya and Classical Yoga, from which all other yoga’s
evolved (especially the Tantra and Hatha yoga’s most practiced today), share this same psychophysical view of the universe.
Samkhya and the Classical Yoga of the Yoga Sutras are dualistic philosophies. In the Samkhya tradition there is purusha and there is
prakriti. Purusha is the soul, the Self, pure consciousness, and the only source of consciousness. The word literally means "man."
Prakriti is that which is created. It is nature in all her aspects. Prakriti literally means "creatrix," the female creative energy.
Unlike in the Western religions, purusha did not create prakriti; in fact, if given a choice, purusha would prefer to have never met
prakriti at all. But purusha is responsible for prakriti becoming animated, alive.
Samkhya philosophy holds that there are countless individual purushas, each one infinite, eternal, omniscient, unchanging, and
unchangeable. There is no single purusha that sits hierarchically above any others. There is no creator god, no puppet master
pulling any strings. Since purusha is pure consciousness, it follows that prakriti is unconscious. Prakriti is everything that is
changing. Prakriti is not just the physical aspects of the universe that we can sense; it is our very senses themselves - our thoughts,
memories, desires, and even our intelligence. Prakriti is everything that is that isn't conscious. Consciousness resides only in purusha, or more properly, as purusha.
Purusha, pure and distant, is beyond subject and object. One cannot understand purusha, for that would make it an object.
Purusha cannot know or understand anything either, for that would make purusha a subject. Purusha simply just is. But, because of the
presence of prakriti, purusha gets attracted to nature in the way a man is attracted when he watches a beautiful woman dancing. He
cannot help but try to get closer. And then the disaster occurs: purusha becomes trapped inside prakriti. The liberating of purusha
from prakriti comes through the practice of yoga.
Samkhya theorizes that Prakriti is the source of the world of becoming. It is pure potentiality that evolves itself successively into
twenty four tattvas or principles. The evolution itself is possible because Prakriti is always in a state of tension among its
constituent strands
Sattva - a template of balance or equilibrium;
Rajas - a template of expansion or activity;
Tamas - a template of inertia or resistance to action.
All macrocosmic and microcosmic creation uses these templates.
The twenty four principles that evolve are
Manas or "Antahkaran" evolves from the total sum of the sattva aspect of Pañca Tanmatras or the "Ahamkara"
Prakriti - The most subtle potentiality that is behind whatever is created in the physical universe, also called "primordial Matter".
It is also a state of equilibrium amongst the Three Gunas.
Mahāt - first product of evolution from Prakriti, pure potentiality. Mahat is also considered to be the principle responsible for the
rise of buddhi or discriminatory power (wisdom) in living beings.
Ahamkāra or ego-sense - second product of evolution. It is responsible for the self-sense in living beings. It is also one's
identification with the outer world and its content.
"Pañca Tanmātrās" or five objects (color, sound, smell, taste, touch) are a simultaneous product from Mahāt Tattva, along with the
Ahamkāra. They are the subtle form of Pañca mahābhūtas which result from grossification or Panchikaran of the Tanmatras.
Each of these Tanmatras are made of all three Gunas.
Pañca jñāna indriyas or five sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body) - also evolves from the sattva aspect of Ahamkara.
Pañca karma indriyas or five organs of action - The organs of action are hands, legs, vocal apparatus, urino-genital organ and anus.
They evolve from the rajas aspect of Ahamkara.
Pañca mahābhūtas or five great substances - earth, water, fire, air and ether. They evolve from the "tamas" aspect of the "Ahamkara".
This is the revealed aspect of the physical universe.
Samkhyan cosmology describes how life emerges in the universe; the relationship between Purusha and Prakriti is crucial to
Patanjali's yoga system. The strands of Samkhyan thought can be traced back to the Vedic speculation of creation. It is also
frequently mentioned in the Mahabharata and Yogavasishta.
Excerpts from yinyoga.com and Wikopedia.
Breath and Energy
When we breathe in there is a subtle sound which is known as ‘So’ and when we breathe out there is a subtle sound which is known as
‘Ham’ Everyone can experience this with slight practice. This sound of ‘Soham’ is continuously going on with every breathing. In a
period of one day, that is twenty-four hours, we take 21.600 breathings. That means this type of sound which is known as Mantra,
is being continued in our body for that many number of times (21.600). If the yogi observes this mentally and consciously, this
becomes a great Sadhana. A Sadhana is a discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a goal. Abhyāsa is repeated practice performed
with observation and reflection. Kriyā, or action, also implies perfect execution with study and investigation. Therefore, sādhana,
abhyāsa, and kriyā all mean one and the same thing. A sādhaka, or practitioner, is one who skillfully applies...mind and intelligence
in practice towards a spiritual goal
The most important aspect of the Yoga Sadhana of Jnaneshvara is the activation of the Kundalini Shakti. This is a Tantric Sadhana
of the Nath Cult. Jnaneshvara has given a detailed account of this process in his sixth chapter. This is a practical application
of the philosophy of Nath Panth. They say that the whole universe is created out of the energy of Shiva or Mahashiva or Adinatha.
They call it Shakti or cosmic energy. This energy is occupying the whole universe. The smallest portion of this energy is known as
Kundalini, and the energy which is present in the entire universe is known as Maha Kundalini. This energy is present in human beings
in potential form (Supta Shakti).
The Yogis who have experienced this energy, say that this is like a serpent and is situated at the end of the Shushumna Nadi in a
coiled form, in three and a half coils, position. This also is in line with their philosophy which says “Bramhandi te Pindi”. This
means that whatever exists in the universe also exists in the human being in the subtle form. This energy can be activated by
Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga and Bhakti Yoga.
The ultimate stage of realisation or Moksha is the union of Shakti with Shiva. Hence the yogi has to activate this energy and
allow this energy to go through all the six chakras gradually. The place of Shiva is considered to be in the last chakra which
is known as Sahasrara. In the ultimate stage, Sadhaka has to transfer this energy to this last chakra. This is supposed to be
the point of union of Shakti with Shiva. One who is successful in this process, is supposed to be a great Yogi. A number of
spiritual powers known as siddhis are at his disposal in that stage. A number of examples are available in the ancient Shastras
about the Yogis, who were successful in obtaining this highest stage.
Exerpt from wikopedia.