Hello Yogi,
Welcome to my podcast.
I'm Aiko and on this show we explore ways to put spiritual theory into sustainable practice.
Good morning Shyam.
Good morning.
So last time we left on Sutra 20,
Chapter 2 and we started this section which we will end today,
Which ends in Sutra 27,
Where we see what destroys ignorance,
Because ignorance is one of the main obstacles in order to reach higher level of yoga,
Meditation,
Samadhi,
What we just talked about before.
And it was brought up like a comparison with the Four Noble Truths of the Buddha.
Yeah,
Right.
That everything in life in a sense is suffering,
Although that may sound pessimistic,
But it's true.
It's actually optimistic because if you think of it,
Then in case you like things,
There is something even better.
Yeah,
Now I just remembered you when we gave back the dog we were taking care of from some friend of us who went out for holiday and the dog was so sad when we left and you just told me,
Oh maybe we should have given Frodo,
Which is the name of the dog,
To someone he doesn't like so he wouldn't be sad when those people would have given him back to the owner.
Because Frodo was super happy to be with them again,
But at the same time confused and sad because we were leaving.
Oh yeah,
That kind of everything has a seed of suffering in it.
Also enjoyment has the seed of suffering in it because the enjoyment will end.
So the dog was enjoying being with us,
But then had to suffer the separation afterwards.
And it's happened also with us when we go for holiday,
When we see friends that are living abroad or things like that.
Yeah,
And of course it's part of life and it has its value,
Of course.
Yeah,
Definitely.
So let's go ahead with Sutra 21,
Chapter 2.
Okay,
So this sutra says,
Tad artha eva drishyasyatma.
The essential nature of that which is seen is exclusively for the sake of the seer.
Yeah,
So what this sutra is saying is repeating something that was stated some sutras ago,
That everything that we experience,
It has a purpose.
It is meant for us to experience,
And it is also meant to help us to actually go beyond this world of sense experience.
So then Sutra 22 reads,
Krittartham pratih nastam apyanastam tad anya sadharanatvat.
Although the seen ceases to exist for one whose purpose is accomplished,
The liberated purusha,
Like self,
It has not ceased to exist altogether,
Since it is common to other not liberated selves.
So since if everything is meant for us to experience and to help us go beyond this world of sense experience,
One way they wonder that if when we become liberated,
Does the material world cease to exist?
Classical philosophical question that if a tree falls in a forest and there is no one there to hear it,
Is there a sound?
So the answer to this is that there is always someone,
Of course not to speak literally of this as a forest,
But the world itself,
There is always someone there to experience it,
Because there is an infinite number of selves like us.
Even if we become liberated,
There will always be others,
And the world will always be there for them.
Sutra 23,
Sva svami shaktiho svarupo palabdhi hetu samyogah.
The notion of conjunction is the means of understanding the real nature of the powers of the possessed and of the possessor.
So this sutra speaks about,
Again repeating something that we brought up in the previous episode from another sutra there,
That the ignorance consists of seeing ourselves and what we are experiencing as a unity,
When it's actually two separate things,
And can be seen as the owner and the owned,
And those are two separate things,
But we kind of identify strongly with what we,
So to speak,
Own,
Such as our bodies and other stuff that we keep around us.
I like very much the analogy of the body seen as your home,
And of course if you break a window,
The roof,
Or the stairs,
You're going to take care of it,
You will call whoever to help you out to fix it,
Maybe you have to work extra to fix it,
And you will take care and it's going to protect you when it's raining,
When there's too much sun,
But you're not the house,
No matter what.
Right,
Just like you're not your car,
You're not your gadgets,
And this and that,
Or your social media accounts.
Sutra 24,
Tasya hetur avidyā,
The cause of conjunction is ignorance.
So here again it's repeating,
Of course the whole of the Yoga Sutras is many times repeating the same things,
Because we need to hear these things over and over again,
Until it clicks.
The cause of seeing matter and self as a unity is the ignorance of the fact that they are two separate realities,
You can say.
Sutra 25,
Tad abhāvat samyogā bhavo hānam tad vṛṣe kaivalyam.
By the removal of ignorance,
Conjunction is removed.
This is the absolute freedom of the seer.
So these are very simple terms actually,
So when we gain the knowledge,
We see that these two things are separate.
A very nice point here brought up in the commentary is to see the difference between the self and intelligence,
Because the intelligence is like the most subtle material element.
So because,
For example,
It could be easy in a sense to see the difference between the self and the body,
Because the body changes,
But the fact that we experience our consciousness always remains the same.
But if you can kind of see the difference between yourself and the most subtle thing that you may actually identify even more with,
I mean,
You will actually identify even more with that.
For example,
Intelligence,
You may think that that's really you.
Okay,
I'm not this body,
But I am my mind and my intelligence.
So if you can see the difference between the self and the intelligence,
Then you will also easily see the difference between yourself and all the rest.
Sutra 26,
Viveka khyatir aviplava hano paya The means to liberation is uninterrupted discriminative discernment.
The way to become free from this conjunction between matter and spirit is to have an unflinching,
To always be aware of the difference between them for a prolonged time,
Because it's not something that's going to happen just overnight,
But you would actually have to kind of go through a process of knowing,
Like seeing that they are separate,
But also kind of going through a process of a sort of a direct experience of them separating.
Yeah,
Because there is a difference.
We talked about it the last episode,
There is a difference between knowing something and experience that.
So it's not that just you know you are not your body,
Like until you experience that,
Until you feel it,
And that to maintain that,
It just sounds like so difficult for me,
Because I know very well I'm not my body since,
I don't know,
Very,
Very long time,
Because I have Asian heritage and I've been told since I was a kid that there is life after life and we are not this body,
But to feel that,
Because I feel this unity with my body.
I feel pain,
I feel hungry,
I see things with my eyes,
So it's very hard.
I don't know if I ever felt or experienced in my entire life this division.
Yeah,
Like it's something that one can understand if you think about it,
But yeah,
To actually feel it and to feel it for a long time,
Like one can have also like a flash of insight maybe for a moment,
But then to actually for a long time feel it.
And of course it's always a disclaimer,
It's not that one should be,
Like because hearing these things one can also kind of prematurely become kind of dissociative,
Like to kind of not be in touch with your body and with reality.
You will actually need to be fully in touch with the world,
But at the same time understanding and feeling that they're two separate things.
Yeah,
And here again the analogy of the house is very good,
Like you will still keep taking care of the house if something breaks,
Or if it becomes dirty or something,
But knowing that you are not the house.
Yeah,
Yeah,
Right.
So yeah,
To be fully caring,
But gradually not identifying that as you,
But something that you are caring for.
Like I said before,
Like we are the owner,
And when we hear these things like we are the owner of material nature and it exists only for us,
This can sound kind of like we're some sort of,
It can sound like colonialism or something like that.
We have to understand here that it means it's something we are taking care of,
We are like we are caretakers of this world.
It means like it's been put in our care for our growth.
So it's not just like,
Okay,
Like everything is meant for me,
So therefore I can just,
You know,
Go and do drugs and,
You know,
Like whatever I just find enjoyable,
But it means like it's a responsibility,
This type of ownership.
Yeah,
It's the biggest gift we got in this life.
Yes.
And then the last sutra for this time,
Number 27,
Tasya saptadha pranta bhūmihi prajña.
The yogi's true insight has seven ultimate stages.
So this sounds very mysterious,
And the interesting thing here is that Patanjali does not say what these seven stages are.
One of the commentators point out that this kind of shows that Patanjali took for granted that people knew what he meant when he said this in his time.
And also another point is that you need a teacher to unpack the meaning of these texts.
And also I'm thinking that this could be to kind of spark your curiosity,
So he doesn't have to say it,
Like he can just say there are seven stages through which this kind of true insight happens.
So then you can just go by yourself and sit and meditate and kind of see what kind of stages you go through.
Very interesting,
This section.
And yeah,
This episode,
It turned out a little shorter than the others.
Do you want to give a short introduction of the next section we're going to talk about?
Yes,
So it's going to be something that most of the listeners will have heard about,
Ashtanga Yoga.
So it comes from this book,
The Yoga Sutras.
So these Ashta means eight,
And Anga means limb.
So Ashta,
The eight limbs of yoga.
So it begins with Yama and Niyama,
And then there is Brahma Yama,
For example.
So these breathing exercises.
And yeah,
So we're going to hear an outline of what the eight limbs of yoga are.
Yeah,
Looking forward to that.
I think it's very important.
And sometimes I feel like these eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are overlooked because these are the roots of yoga.
So they really give the foundation to it.
And some people might think that yoga is a sort of gymnastic or stretching.
And of course,
It is also that.
But that's not why it was created.
It's not why you're doing that.
And also it has so many benefits to the body,
To the parasympathetic system,
All the meridians.
Apart from the physical thing,
I think it's very important to look at the deeper meaning of yoga and why we are doing yoga.
Yeah,
Definitely.
And it's going to be exciting to delve into and get absorbed in.
Okay,
So then see you next time.
Yes,
See you and thank you very much for this session.
Thank you.
I hope this episode fulfilled its purpose of inspiring you.
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