Book II: Ways To Attain Yoga (Sadhana Pada)
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
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The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book II
- Practical ways to attain Yoga (union of consciousness with the Infinite) are through ascetic disciplines (tapas), study and meditation on Aum (Svadhyaya), and by devotion to the Lord (Ishvara). [Refer to Book I:23-28.] These are the preliminary steps (kriya yoga).
- The purpose of kriya yoga is to bring about superconsciousness and to weaken the afflictions.
- The afflictions are ignorance, ego-consciousness, desire, aversion, and the clinging-to-life instinct.
- Ignorance is the cause of the other afflictions whether they are dormant (exist in potential form in the subconscious), weakened (rendered non-operative through meditation), overpowered (the yogi counters them by cultivating the opposite tendencies), or fully operative.
- Ignorance is regarding the non-eternal as eternal, the impure as pure, the distressing as pleasurable, and the not-Self as Self.
- Ego-consciousness is the apparent identification of the Perceiver with the instruments of perception.
- Desire is that which dwells upon pleasure.
- Aversion is that which dwells upon pain.
- The clinging-to-life instinct, springing up of its own nature, remains even in the wise.
- When the afflictions are in potential form they should be overcome by resolving them into their natural cause (prakriti).
- The gross effects produced by the afflictions in their fully operative form should be overcome by meditation.
- The result of past experience of the afflictions is that tendencies (karmas) are stored in the subconscious mind which causes suffering both in this life and the life to come.
- As long as the storehouse of karmas exists, they will bear fruit in the next birth, length of life, and experiences of pleasure and pain.
- These fruits will result in pleasure or pain according as to whether their cause is from virtue or vice.
- But, to the discriminating yogi, all material experience is considered painful since by the three material modes (guna vritti) the painful consequences of change, anxiety, and new tendencies (samsaras) happen.
- What is to be avoided is pain not yet come.
- The cause of avoidable pain is the identifying of the experiencer with the object of experience.
- The objective world has the nature of illumination, activity, and stability (ie. the three modes of material nature (gunas)), and comprises the physical elements as well as the senses. Its purpose is for the sake of experience and the liberation of the experiencer.
- The four aspects of Nature are gross (or general), subtle (or specialized), the once resolvable (or primal) and the irresolvable (or unevolved).
- The Seer (Purusha), although pure consciousness only, sees through the senses and mind which becomes coloured by the object. [Refer to Book I:16,41]
- The visible universe exists for the sake of the Seer.
- Although the visible universe has ceased to exist for those who have achieved enlightenment, it still exists because it is common to all other experiencers.
- The relationship between the Seer and Nature (Prakriti) is that of the owner and the owned, and this causes identification of the Self and not-Self. [See Book I:16.]
- The cause of that identification is ignorance.
- When this ignorance is absent the identification is also removed, and the Seer attains liberation (kaivalya).
- This ignorance (and consequent identification) is removed by unwavering discriminative knowledge of the Seer and Nature.
- The yogi develops this perfect knowledge through seven stages.
- The practice of the things subservient to Yoga gives the light of knowledge which destroys the impurities preventing complete discriminative knowledge.
- The things subservient to Yoga (called the eight limbs of yoga) are :
- Yama - ethical restraints
- Niyama - ethical observances
- Asana - postures
- Pranayama - breath and prana control [See vital currents]
- Pratyahara - control of the senses by the withdrawal of prana from them
- Dharana - single-point concentration
- Dhyana - unbroken concentration (meditation)
- Samadhi - superconsciousness.
- The yamas are nonviolence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), non-stealing (asteya), continence (bramacharya), and nonpossessiveness (aparigraha).
- The practice of these is not limited by rank, place, time, or circumstance. They are the universal great vows.
- The niyamas are purity (saucha), contentment (santosha), ascetic disciplines (tapas), study and meditation, and devotion to Ishvara. [Refer to Book II:1 concerning kriya yoga.]
- To counteract destructive attitudes one should cultivate thoughts of the opposite kind.
- These destructive attitudes, as for example thoughts of violence, whether they are done, caused to be done, or merely approved of; whether motivated by greed, anger, or preceded by ignorance; and whether mild, moderate, or extreme will result in infinite suffering and ignorance. Therefore one should cultivate thoughts of the opposite kind.
- When nonviolence is firmly established then all living beings will cease to feel enmity in one's presence.
- When truth is firmly established then all actions will bear fruit.
- When non-stealing is firmly established then all prosperity approaches.
- When continence is firmly established then vigor is gained.
- When nonpossessiveness is firmly established then knowledge of former lives is gained.
- From purity comes protection of one's own body and disinclination for contact with others.
- On the purification of the conscious mode of illumination (sattva) one obtains serenity, power of single-point concentration, control of the senses, and fitness for direct perception of Self.
- Contentment brings supreme happiness.
- Ascetic disciplines bring perfection of the body and senses due to the destruction of impurities.
- By study and meditation comes a direct realization of one's preferred Deity.
- By devotion to Ishvara comes the perfection of meditation (samadhi). [Refer to Book I:23-28]
- Postures (asanas) should be steady and pleasant.
- Asanas are mastered by relaxed effort and remaining unaware of the body.
- From that one is no longer disturbed by the dualities (ie. pairs of opposites such as hot/cold, pleasure/pain, etc.)
- On asanas being mastered there follows control of the movements of inspiration and expiration which is called pranayama.
- Modes of pranayama are when the breath is restrained externally (ie. after expiration), or internally (ie. after inspiration), or totally (ie. in mid-motion). Each mode is regulated by place (ie. the place in the body the prana is held), by the length of time held, and by the number of times performed, which can either be long or short.
- The fourth mode of pranayama is breath or prana restraint between the outer and inner spheres.
- From the mastery of pranayama comes the removal of ignorance covering the light of higher consciousness.
- And fitness of mind for single-point concentration (Dharana).
- When the psychic energy used by the senses is withdrawn from their sense-objects, then it becomes identical to mental energy. This process is called pratyahara.
- From that comes supreme control over the senses.