None but the moon

Modern car,
zipping through a earthly highway!
Ancient moon,
hanging still on the heavenly highway!
Sitting in the car
observing the white disc,
feel the car flowing forward
until there is none but the moon!

See - Observe - Love

"Don't just see. Observe." - Sherlock Holmes
"Don't just observe. Love." - Yogic enhancement of the above statement :)

Some Links

Ten of the greatest: Philosophical principles

A Hanging

The last colony

Flipper furore: Dolphin lands ashore

Eheu fugaces

Eheu fugaces, Postume, Postume, labuntur anni!
Alas, the fleeting years glide away, Postumus, Postumus!

-- from "Eheu fugaces", an ode to Postumus on the futility of hoarding up treasure

Tapas

तदात्मनि निरते य उपनिषत्सु धर्मास्ते
May all the Dharmas extolled by the Upanishads shine in me!


    -- Chandogya upanishad


What kind of tapas would get one there from the normal state of existence?

Links from Damn Interesting

The Pit of Life and Death

"By 1983, the hill was so exhausted that the Anaconda Mining Company was no longer able to extract minerals in profitable amounts. They packed up all the equipment that they could move, shut down the water pumps, and moved on to more lucrative scraps of Earth. Without the pumps, rain and groundwater gradually began to collect in the pit, leaching out the metals and minerals in the surrounding rock. The water became as acidic as lemon juice, creating a toxic brew of heavy metal poisons including arsenic, lead, and zinc. No fish live there, and no plants line the shores. There aren’t even any insects buzzing about. The Berkeley Pit had become one of the deadliest places on earth, too toxic even for microorganisms. Or so it was thought."

The Ethyl-Poisoned Earth

Extents to which corporate greed can blind people to distort information and screw up our biosphere in order to make profits! 

"Upon learning that automotive fuel was the source of the contamination, Dr. Patterson began to publish materials discussing the toxic metal's ubiquity and its probable ill effects... The Ethyl corporation allegedly offered him lucrative employment in exchange for more favorable research results, but Dr. Patterson declined. For a time thereafter, Patterson found himself ostracized from government and corporate sponsored research projects, including the a National Research Council panel on atmospheric lead contamination. The Ethyl corporation had powerful friends, including a Supreme Court justice, members of the US Public Health Service, and the mighty American Petroleum Institute. Nevertheless, Patterson was unrelenting, and the resulting rise in scientific and public awareness eventually led to the Clean Air Act of 1970, and a staged phaseout of leaded gasoline. Ethyl and Du Pont sued the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming that "actual harm" must be demonstrated rather than just "significant risk," an effort which successfully prolonged lead additives' life by another decade."

 

The Sheep Incident

"In March 1968, the toxin under scrutiny was VX, one of the most potent nerve agents in existence. The original compound was created by Ranajit Ghosh, a chemist working at Imperial Chemical Industries. The liquid proved to be an effective pesticide and it was quickly put on the market under the name Amiton. Not long afterwards, however, it was taken off the market for being too toxic to handle safely. The agent's extreme toxicity drew the attention of government weapons research labs, whose scientists were always on the lookout for more efficient ways to kill people."

 

 

In Soviet Russia, Lake Contaminates You

Perils involved in playing with nuclear power!!

"In 1951, after about three years of operations at Chelyabinsk-40, Soviet scientists conducted a survey of the Techa River to determine whether radioactive contamination was becoming a problem. In the village of Metlino, just over four miles downriver from the plutonium plant, investigators and Geiger counters clicked nervously along the river bank. Rather than the typical "background" gamma radiation of about 0.21 Röntgens per year, the edge of the Techa River was emanating 5 Röntgens per hour."

Shut up and practice

There are many concepts and terms associated with quantum mechanics and its interpretations. Schrodinger's cat, wave function collapse and multi-verses are just a few of them. These terms and their varied interpretations are usually highly intriguing and interesting. Consequently, there are many interpretations for them which serves to confuse the layman. Amongst the popular interpretations, there is one that caught my eye. It is called the instrumentalist interpretation which is also referred to as the 'shut up and calculate' view. The primary concern of the physicists who subscribe to this view is to be focused on the physics and not be worried about interpretations. This does not mean that they do not know the interpretations. It is just that they are agnostic to the interpretations.

Like always, one can draw analogies between physics and Yoga. Like the mind boggling terms in quantum physics, Yoga also has its own set of terms that serve to guide and confuse. Most often, even serious practitioners are caught up in the terms - kaivalya, brahman, self etc. Analogous to the 'shut up and calculate' view in quantum physics, one can easily formulate the 'shut up and practice' view in Yoga. These terms like 'sunyata' and 'aham brahmasmi' intrigue beginners and are living truths in the enlightened (and who are one in a hundred million by the way). Hence, for all serious non-amateur practitioners, the best view on the highest philosophy would be 'shut up and practice'. It is useful to know these terms enough to be not disturbed by intellectual challenges but not more. The practice then involves rigorous adhering to basic principles and continuously eliminating all impurities from the lower aspects of oneself. The actual practice can take various forms depending on the individuals needs and inclination but will most certainly involve personal physical and mental health practices, compassion and responsibility etc.

My personal practice is centered around these three statements. For the purpose of expression, they have been split into three although it is one continuous whole - the grossest being expressed first and the most subtle expressed last.


1.) At the external level it is captured by this statement from Yoga Vasishta.

शुबाषुबाब्यां मार्गाब्यां वहन्ति वासना सरित
पोउरुषेण प्रयत्नेन योजनीया शुभे पथि!
Tendencies flow on healthy and undesirable paths. Men of wisdom put in the right effort to direct them along the healthy paths!


To me this emphasizes proper asana / pranayama / dietary / sleep routines on the personal front. It also implies continuous vigil against anger / insensitiveness etc which crop up easily when one is placed in tough situations.


2. At the internal level, I have this statement adapted from the Yoga Sutras.

श्रीराम प्रपत्ति क्लेश कर्म निव्र्त्तिहि!
On surrendering to Ram, one is liberated of impurities and consequences of action!

This involves following the path of Ram of sincerely attempting to be perfect and correct always. To accomplish this, the basic necessity is the subjective conquest of matter aka indiscipline (earth), insensitivity (water), lack of motivation (fire), lack of imagination (air) and lack of acceptance (space). When one accomplishes this, naturally, the state of inner purity is recognised and pure action automatically flows. Then one takes total responsibility for all dimensions of ones life. Personal, social, national and world issues all become equally important. Cleaning ones egoic relations become as important as cleaning up the garbage produced by ones life style.


3. At the deepest level, the only practice for everyone is neatly summed up by this statement from the Ashtavakra Gita.

असङ्गोऽसि निराकारो विश्वसाक्षी सुखी भव!
Rest in peace as the unattached formless witness of all of creation!


Relentless adherence to these three statements covers my definition of 'shut up and practice'.

The Yoga of moving from gross to subtle

There are many definitions of Yoga available in many sacred books. It is very good and useful to know them, especially for those whose intellects have been trained to analyse things relentlessly. Having been on that path for a while, I really respect and value the formal definitions given in the yoga sutras, gita etc. But, over a period of time, one also evolves an informal definition based on ones life experiences. This evolved informal understanding is very important as it is the solution that one produces by oneself through ones life.

For me, right now, Yoga is the process of moving from gross aspects of things to more and more refined and subtle aspects. A few examples will help communicate this clearly.

Consider some dimension of ones life - say entertainment, the kind where you want to spend a few hours without having to worry about the regular mundane things. The average person seeks such entertainment in cinema, sports, television, company of friends etc. The varying kinds of such entertainment can be placed on a scale where one end is gross and the other end is subtle. B-grade cinema can be considered to be grosser than classical music. Singing / dancing oneself can be considered to be subtler than listening to others performing. Sitting silently and being in bliss can be considered to be the subtlest form of entertainment. Of course, the exact ordering of the varying forms of entertainment depends on the individual. But, in general, that which consumes more energy from the individual can be considered to be gross while that which energises the individual, can be considered to be subtle. Based on this, one can come up with ones own ordering.

Like entertainment, there are many other dimensions of ones life where the same principle can be applied - physical fitness, relationships, inner peace / compassion when under stress, ones contribution to society, self knowledge etc. For example, knowledge of ones body (what foods are agreeable and what one is not etc) is gross level self knowledge. Realisation of ones essential nature is self-knowledge at the subtlest. The more dimensions of life we move from gross to subtle, the less energy is dissipated and the more energy is retained within the individual. For example, eating regularly at a road side eatery will have health consequences and more energy (physical / mental / financial) will have to be spent to deal with these consequences. But, if one pays attention to what / where we eat, energy may not have to be spent in dealing with many of the health consequences. This reserve energy that one builds up can then be used for better and higher purposes. This re-allocation of domains in which ones energy is spent leads to a tremendous transformation in the individual and this leads to that higher states of consciousness that many of the sacred books describe. For most of us, in my opinion, there really is no other way but to do this - continuous transformation from gross to subtle on many dimensions of ones life!

This movement from gross to subtle will take lot of effort only for the first few dimensions we embark upon. After that, the momentum / energy already gained will help do this transformation much easily in other dimensions.

Some Buddhist poetry I liked

Source: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/


Wandering for alms -
weak, leaning on a staff,
with trembling limbs -
I fell down right there on the ground.
Seeing the drawbacks of the body,
my mind was then set free.

Calmed, restrained,
giving counsel unruffled,
he lifts off evil states of mind -
as the breeze,
a leaf from a tree.

See this:
the discernment
of the Tathagatas,
like a fire ablaze in the night,
giving light, giving eyes,
to those who come,
subduing their doubt.

My hut is roofed, comfortable,
free of drafts;
my mind, well-centered,
set free.
I remain ardent.
So, rain-deva.
Go ahead & rain.

Just as a fine thoroughbred steed,
with swishing tail & mane
runs with next-to-no effort,
so my days & nights
run with next-to-no effort
now that I've gained a happiness
not of the flesh.

Who scatters the troops
of the King of Death -
as a great flood,
a very weak bridge made of reeds -
is victorious,
for his fears are dispersed.
He's tamed,
unbound,
steadfast in himself.

Some awesome tamil poetry!

துறந்தாரின் தூய்மை யுடையர் இறந்தார்வாய்
இன்னாச்சொல் நோற்கிற் பவர்.
Those who bear with the uncourteous speech of the insolent are as pure as the ascetics.

-- Really wish I could develop this quality perfectly!!


வானாகி மண்ணாகி வளியாகி ஒளியாகி
ஊனாகி உயிராகி உண்மையுமாய் இன்மையுமாய்
கோனாகி யான் எனது என்று அவரவரைக் கூத்தாட்டு
வாளாகி நின்றாயை என் சொல்லி வாழ்த்துவனே!

As sky, as earth, as wind, as sky
As body, as life, as truth, as negation
As boss who destroys the ego
You stand as light, how shall I praise you!



குனித்த புருவமும், கொவ்வைச் செவ் வாயில் குமிண் சிரிப்பும்
பனித்த சடையும் பவளம் போல் மேனியில் பால் வெண்ணீறும்
இனித்த முடைய எடுத்த பொற் பாதமும் காணப்பெற்றால்
மனித்தப் பிறவியும் வேண்டுவதே இந்த மாநிலத்தே!

Curved brows, lips as red as the little guard holding a tender smile
Snow draped hair, pearl like body showered with milk,
Along with the attractive golden feet when I get to see
Having a human life indeed becomes worthwhile!

Balu thevar moment

Someone remarked in some random context - "One must face many 'dharma sankata' (ethically/morally tricky) situations in life, struggle with them, do many mistakes and learn that one is not the great person that one thinks oneself to be".

Hearing it was an intense slap on the face. :)
Balu thevar moment :D

Rest in inner peace

Gently chant ram ram
see the crows elegant flight
rest in inner peace!

Formal expositions of simple truths

All high end philosophical works (like yoga sutras / brahma sutras / gita etc) are merely formal expositions of simple truths like honesty, sincerity, love, compassion, discipline etc. Formal expositions are great to have and know for complex life situations make our simple truths simplistic leading to delusion. Knowledge of formal expositions will guide us then. But, one needs to guard against craving to have scholarly understanding of these works and / or looking up to anyone having it. That simply isnt the point.

Lower self and chakravyuha

Every desire of the lower self is an invitation into a chakravyuha. Entry possible but no exit. But that is ok. Only when we get caught in one or two such chakravyuhas do we truly understand the nature of duality and appreciate the subtler higher self and grow to be able to access it.

More disappointed with KYM than with Kausthub

I finally got around to digging into the now well known accusations (sexual / emotional / mental) against Mr. Kausthub Desikachar. I write this with great disappointment and with a very heavy heart. In this entire episode, I am more disappointed with KYM than with Mr. Kausthub.

If you are not well acquainted with this issue, here are some links. They will provide you most of the information that you need. Some of the links are also opinion pieces. Hence, take everything in the links with a pinch of salt. Some of the facts in these links are not very precise but they are mostly immaterial to the discussion at hand. Hence, kindly ignore these minor inaccuracies.

•     YogaSentinel
•     Grimmly
•     Maththew Remski
•     Awakening is not genetic

Despite all the obvious flaws that were evident in KYM's functioning from my day one there (like authoritative hierarchy, unwanted secrecy, fawning on guru etc...), KYM was always one institute that was close to my heart. Despite their weakness, they still had lot of good things about them (which are difficult to sustain in an Indian context). For example, it was a public trust but still had the efficiency of private firms. For more than 25 years, they functioned out of a hut, they have trained countless number of people in yoga thereby directly contributing heavily to the well being of countless families and individuals. This was quite impressive to me. But, all this has now changed. KYM, in an obvious attempt at mere damage control, are trying to sever all contact with Mr. Kausthub and by doing so, they have the gumption to claim that they are upholding the principles of Yoga.

In a recent announcement sent to many people on their listserve, they have claimed

"The Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram has never had and never will have any involvement with any activities of the KHYF."

They may choose to never have any relationship in the future but the part about not having any relationship in the past is a blatant lie. I have personally seen many teachers from KYM teaching at KHYF. Not just teaching at the KHYF office in chennai, but also travelling abroad on behalf of KHYF. In addition, all students who finished the teacher training course at KYM were asked to register as a yoga teacher with KHYF by paying $200 (was made $170 for us-  which urs truly paid to KHYF). In fact, the studies department and vedic chanting classes at KYM were brought to an end (except for therapeutic purposes) and were all set to be moved to KHYF. I have witnessed these things personally and hence I am not sure what to make of such a blatant lie.

All the more worrying is the attempt by KYM to amputate Kausthub from itself and claim that the gangrene has disappeared. This is simply day dreaming. KYM is the process that has the produced Kausthub with all his problems in his present state. The attempt to separate the end result from the process is verily anti-yoga. Kausthub is indeed a product of the authoritatively hierarchical and guru-fawning culture at KYM! If a sincere attempt is to be made to cleanse the system, then KYM must be a part of the cleansing process.

To begin with, the senior teachers need to own up moral responsibility for their omissions and commissions. Starting from Mr. Desikachar, there is a need for all the senior teachers at KYM to give heart felt true and genuine answers. Unfortunately, Mr. Desikachar may not be in a mental state right now to be able to do this. But, other senior teachers can step in and will have to do some soul searching on the front. The biggest questions that cry for answers from my limited understanding of the situation are:

• What was the action taken upon the letter given by Ms. Saraswathi 5 years ago to Shri Desikachar?
• Despite Mr. Kausthub starting his own private for-profit yoga institute, why was he allowed to continue to be a director at KYM? Is this not serious conflict of interest?
• Why were many of Mr. Kausthubs misdemeanour's not caught at an early stage?

Only at KYM I got introduced to the yoga sutras. One of the sutras in the second chapter says,

te pratiprasava heyah sukshmah

This simply means, nip the problem in the bud. Why were all the senior teachers who are all extremely well versed in the yoga sutras unable to implement this when it came to the actions of Mr. Kausthub?

Will there every be any heart felt sincere response to this episode from KYM? I guess not. From my experience, whenever I have pointed out some issue with some traditional system (not just KYM or Yoga), I have met with response, "Its the systems bad time that even novices like you dare to question them". Obviously, such an attitude will not help. Questions should be dispensed with on the merit of the questions instead of the scholarly aptitude of the questioner.

It is possible that KYM wants to protect themselves in order to preserve the valuable tradition so painstakingly built by Shri Krishnamacarya and Shri Desikachar over many decades of tireless efforts. Hopefully, they are doing all the needed self analysis to figure out why this happened. If such is the case, hopefully they will share with us the details in due course of time. Only when the senior teachers demonstrate such high moral responsibility, will I personally call it upholding the high principles of Yoga!

Jiddu Krishnamurthi had adviced Mr. Desikachar as a young adult, "Sir, dont become a guru, dont exploit, dont become rich.". JK had said this to many countless people of course! I have never met Mr. Desikachar in a personal conversation. But the culture at KYM certainly is not free of the culture of the authoritatively hierarchical guru! Many times in the past, I had taken this culture lightly though there will be some internal resistance from me towards it. But, episodes like this push me towards taking a increasingly blatant anti-guru stand. The hierarchy of guru-shishya comes with a power disparity and that is a healthy breeding ground for such exploitation. This needs to cease if yoga is to be given a chance to guide us towards sanity. This is a very big lesson that I have learnt through observing all that is being played out.

தவறு

தவறே செய்யாதே என்பர் அறிவிலர்
தவறே செய்யாத யோக்கியன் எங்குமில்லை
தவறே செய்யாதது இறையோன்று மட்டுமே என்று
தவறை உணர்ந்து வளரும் வரம் பெற்றேனே!

Space vs Other Elements

Assume you are trying to take the lotus posture and that your knee pains. One possible reason could be the collision between the thigh bone (femur) and the shinbone (tibia). Most probably both the femur and the tibia rotate inwards when we attempt lotus and this causes the bones to collide causing pain in the knee. Most often, the cure could be to rotate the femur and tibia outwards with ones hand. This relieves the stress in the knees for most people.

What happens is that space is created in the knee between the femur and tebia when we rotate the bones outward. This drastically reduces the pain felt inside the knee. This space element is a wonderful way to eliminate pain at both the physical and mental levels. Similar to the knee pain, individuals suffer because their minds do not have enough space to hold both reality and their hopes of reality. First step in such cases is to create space so that the two can co-exist without colliding. When this happens, there is less pain. This lack of pain frees up the individual to creatively and effectively deal with the situation.

Creative dealing with the situation demands the use of other elements. Just space element will not suffice here. A well developed space element protects one from suffering but does little externally. The other elements do that job. Yoga necessarily consists of developing all the elements well!

The seeker was no more!

I sought the truth
with all my might
but nothing was in sight
and nothing was right!

Then came the trickle
one by one they were fickle
until one day
when I heard the rumble!

A bewildering array of
infinite varieties
revealed themselves
until their finite recipient
became silent in awe!
The seeker was no more!

FB Photos

Conquest of matter - Bhoota Jayam

 
Objective 'conquest of matter' is what our civilisation is trying to do relentlessly. We may have tasted intermittent success in this but from the long range perspective, our conquest of matter seems at best a Pyrrhic victory. The rate at which our biosphere is being destroyed seems like enough evidence for that. Nevertheless, this is not the subject of this article. Instead, this article is interested in exploring subjective 'conquest of matter'.

To understand subjective 'conquest of matter', one first needs to recognise the various components of the subject. Towards this end, the traditional approach of splitting matter into the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and sky) is taken. Traditionally, the following simple explanation is given to show why the body contains the five elements.

When an individual dies, the first thing that leaves the body is the breath or the wind element. Next, within a few minutes, the body looses the heat in it. This is seen as fire leaving the body. These days, most dead bodies are immediately kept in a freezer and hence the corpse is frozen. But, if it is kept out, we can notice all kinds of fluids, i.e. the water element, starting to leak out of the body. Next, all kinds of organisms start acting on the body and the body starts to disintegrate. As the earth element disintegrates, finally the space element that is held within is also released. Thus, death is the dissolution of matter which makes up the body into the sea of potentiality from which other bodies arise.

Our mind being a function of the body, is obviously influenced by the components of the body and hence can be studied in terms of the characteristics of these elements. Thus, subjective 'conquest of matter' is in other terms is simply conquering the negative sides of these elements in ones body and mind.

In order to see the characteristics, lets go from the gross to the subtle. Earth element which can seen, felt, tasted and smelled is the grossest of them all. Some of the important characteristics of the earth element are stability and dependability. The primary reason why individuals lack this is lack of discipline. Therein, one concludes that conquest of earth is conquest of indiscipline.

Next is the element water. It comes next because it can be seen, felt and tasted but cannot be smelled. The most important characteristics of water is that of life giver. It also has a pacifying / calming effect on most people. This is usually equated with sincerity / genuineness. Thus, conquest of water is the conquest of insincerity.

Next comes the fire element which can be seen and felt but neither can be tasted nor can be smelled. The most important characteristic of fire is that of energy provider. While water can also do some work, there is nothing like fire to do intense / focussed work. Fire also provides light, which no other element can. In human beings the energy to act comes from desire and motivation. Thus, conquest of fire is the conquest of lack of motivation / desire.

Next comes the wind element which can only be felt. Wind can go places easily. It can expand / contract effortlessly. It is very difficult to block wind. These are also the characteristics of imagination / intelligence. Thus, conquest of wind is the conquest of lack of imagination / intelligence.

Finally, comes the space element. This can only be known by intuition. No sense can indicate its presence. Space elements holds you and me. It also holds the ugliest toad and the most beautiful flower. It has space for Hitler and Christ. Normally, we do not have such an all encompassing space in us. We do not accept certain kinds of people. We do not accept certain kinds of situations. Conquering this lack of acceptance is verify conquest of space.

When the characteristics of these five elements in our bodies and mind is complete, we may say one has accomplished bhoota jayam or conquest of matter. All of these apply at both the physical and mental levels. Discipline / sincerity / motivation / imagination and space are equally applicable to both body and mind. For example, the amount of space we have in our minds to accept things is dependent on the amount of space the spine has to elongate in our back, the amount of space our lungs have to expand in our thoracic cavity and the amount of space the diaphragm has to descend into the abdominal cavity.

Regular adherence to the limbs of yoga helps in this conquer of matter! One who has conquered the elements this way is verily set for great things in life. The inner voice will be heard clearly and will be manifested in the world beautifully! The individuals life acquires great depth and meaning. The ego becomes punier and punier but the ideals / values etc that the individuals life demonstrates, become more and more precious. Thus, this is probably the most important conquest that one should concern oneself with in this life!

PS: The same can be analysed in many other ways. This is a perspective that works wonderfully for me! :)

Anger Management through Yoga

Seven steps for anger management:

1. Seeing it. Seeing all dimensions of it. Seeing them choice-lessly.
2. That which has arisen will also demise and hence this will also go away. Seeing this is important.
3. Seeing your situation in perspective. Contrast it with the worst atrocity that someone whom you know has gone through.
4. Seeing the other persons perspective. If one were in their shoes, one probably would have done the same.
5. Learning to breath. Mind, being a function of the body, is most easily tuned / regulated by mastery over ones breath.
6. Practising all of the above regularly so that they come handy needed.
7. Dealing with the situation. This could even mean all out battle. But, that should necessarily be the last option.

All these being the most elementary aspects of anger management, lets now enter the more involved parts.

When one's family members fight with each other, die of preventable causes and / or waste their life in trivial pursuits, most sane individuals will feel a lot of anger. This is exactly the state of affairs in the world. It is surprising that most people are not angry about it. Interestingly, this also comes about by seeing - seeing the interconnected ways of the world, the suffering it and the apathy one shows towards it.

Practice of yoga helps one identify with the whole world as ones family. Naturally one will start feeling anger at the state of the world. This anger provides energy for action. Yoga further strengthens and tightens ones body and mind so as to hold that anger within carefully. If not, the fire which anger is will spread out and will add to the madness around. Instead, the energy stays within and the individual becomes like an engine - an engine of change. The anger is kept in and the energy is felt outside. First the individual undergoes a dramatic transformation and then the light of change spreads out.

Gradually, over a period of time, the individual naturally acts as an engine of change even without the anger.

Anger management through yoga complete!

The moon is waiting!

Bribe desirous cop

Unscrupulous unyielding

The moon is waiting!

Para & Apara Vidya

Two kinds of knowledge:
a.) Apara Vidya - That which comes from experience and skill
b.) Para Vidya - That which comes from being free from experience and grace

Can we cultivate both?

The former is masculine and the latter is feminine. The former gives one a career while the latter makes life worth living by helping one acquire great inner depth.

Archetypes of people interested in yoga sutras

Possible archetypes of people interested in the yoga sutras:
1. Complacent Outsider
2. Ultimate Insider
3. Romantic Seeker
4. Universal Philosopher
5. Bodily Practitioner
6. Mere Philologist
7. Classical Scholar

From 'Silence Unheard: Deathly Otherness' in Patañjala-yoga
By Yohanan Grinshpon

Nice list but IMHO, it seems that the author has not got the point :D

My view is that, all of the above classifications are about the quality of the intellect that is interested and not the being.. for example, sincere seeker is missing.. the deepest he gets is the romantic seeker.. much more importantly, the

yogi is missing! furthermore there are many applications of being a yogi - like being an astronomer, doctor, social activist etc which Patanjali talks about and I find a reference to any of that lacking.. so I felt he has not gone deep enough beyond looking at it through the intellect!

 

NDP - 2903 / 2904

2904

நின்றனர் இருந்தனர் கிடந்தனர் திரிந்தனர்
நின்றிலர் இருந்திலர் கிடந்திலர் திரிந்திலர்
என்றும் ஓர் இயல்வினர் என நினைவு அரியவர்
என்றும் ஓர் இயல்வொடு நின்ற எம் திடரே!



2903

அவரவர் தமதம தறிவறி வகைவகை
அவரவ ரிறையவ ரெனவடி யடைவர்கள்
அவரவ ரிறையவர் குறைவில ரிறையவர்
அவரவ விதிவழி யடையநின் றனரே!




 

Rules vs Creativity

என்னை யாரறிவார்

எங்கிருந்தாலும் உன்னை நானறிவேன்
என்னை உன்னையல்லாது வேறு யாரறிவார்?

World of desires

To deal with the adult world healthily, one needs to learn to deal with desires. For this, one has to identify all of ones desires at every level, purify them and manifest them in the world! Through this process one cultivates the skill and patience to deal with the world of desires or in other words, the world of adults!

Big fish!

Christ, in his parable of the fisherman, says the wise fisherman throws away all the small fish caught in his net but retains just the big fish! Likewise, shall we throw away all the distracting superficial desires and diligently (if needed, aggressively) preserve and cultivate our deepest heartfelt desires?

Touched by three souls in aged bodies!

Three incidents where actions of old people deeply touched me this week:
1. Was standing very tired in a crowded bus after a long day. A seat near me was vacated. An old (70+) man was standing right next to the seat and normally he would have sat there but  he gave the seat to me voluntarily with a big smile (knowing that I was tired)!

2. Was trying to board a bus. The bus started to move unexpectedly and my leg slipped slightly and dangerously. A old man standing on the road said, 'ayyo paathu kanna' (be careful my son). Was genuinely touched by the expression of love and concern on his face. Usually people are too tight to express their concern and even if they do, do not say 'kanna'!

3. The biggest thing was today. An old (80+) lady slipped in her house in the middle of the night. She could not move and was sitting on the ground in pain and blood for 5hours as she did not want to wake up her kids staying in the same apartment complex! As she narrated this, there was absolutely no sense of pain / worry / frustration / anguish or any other negative emotion in her voice. No pain at being 'alone' or any of the usual (mostly genuine) complaints of the aged. Truly, the divine is expressing itself through her! Blessed to have known her for so long!

Feels great to be in touch with such souls! :) Makes one humble and filled with gratitude.

Individuals vs Suffering

Individuals create suffering. No no wait! Suffering creates individuals. No no wait! Its both. No no wait! Its neither. Hmm.., no no wait! Its complex! My god, this is crazily insanely complex! My god, I really do not know!

FB Photos

இரண்டற்ற நிலை

இரண்டற்ற நிலை உணராவிட்டால்
இரண்டென்னும் இருளின் பாரத்தால்
இறை இரண்டாய் பிளக்கும்!

இரண்டற்ற நிலை பிறந்துவிட்டால்
அன்பென்னும் அருளின் ஒளியால்
காயங்கள் வேறானாலும்
உயிர் ஒன்றாய் இணையும்!

மதங்கொண்ட வேழம்

மதங்கொண்ட வேழம் போல திரிகின்றேன்
கோடி விதங்கொண்ட வேடம் தரித்த வேடன் துரத்த
சினம்கொண்டு மோதினால் எல்லாம் அழியுமாமே!

Kaivalya from Maths

Freedom from the perennial tyranny of the mathematical mind is obtained by letting emotions flow freely!

Satyam Shivam Sundaram

When the mind is established in Satyam (truth), Shivam (masculine) is recognized inside and Sundaram (feminine) is cultivated outside! The being is developed to the fullest extent!

Lessons from impurities

Ones unshakeable impurities teaches one:

• Understanding of duality
• Humility / Compassion with respect to others
• Gratitude for the degree of purity one already possesses
• Ones lack of necessary intensity for further cleansing of oneself!

Duhkam

परिणाम ताप संस्कार दुःखैः गुणवृत्तिविरोधाच्च दुःखमेव सर्वं विवेकिनः

parinama-tapa-samskara-duhkhair guna-vritti-virodhac ca dhukham eva sarvam vivekinah!

Yoga sutras, ch 2, sutra 15

 

Literal meaning: The wise see all misery arising from the contact of imperfect mental states with consequences of external changes or actions motivated by desires or habitual actions.

Implied meaning (my interpretation): To overcome suffering, let consequences of external changes or actions motivated by desires or habitual actions contact the state of purity within (accessed by purifying ones mind)!

Yoga, zen, cookies and filter coffee

...

...
...

2:53 PM Partha: If all these plans work out, ill get more confidence about doing yoga practice full time. i think only that will make me do my practice with total regularity 

Karthik: In zen they say your desires and needs are not served by practice
2:55 PM But your practice is fueled by them

2:56 PM Partha: totally opposite :)2:57 PM mine is totally fuelled by my need to make my life in a certain way
we can say, the practice will suit our desires if it is truly the divine will :)

2:59 PM Karthik: i must add this opposite is present to acknowledge the delusion that one can predict divine will

3:00 PM Partha: lol :)
not sure what to tell about that 

Karthik: But yes, given delusion is workaday we have to acknowledge its presence too


3:01 PM Partha: in the pair of opposites
3:02 PM what is good, eternal and beautiful (satyam, shivam & sundaram) is gods will
what is not is gods test to the individual on whether he/she can obey the divine will
:) 

Karthik: Hmm
3:03 PM Great faith and great doubt
3:04 PM May be there is divine will. May be there is not. Chewy chocolate cookies and sleep are easy. ;-)
3:05 PM I have faith in those :-P 

Partha: haha :)
they certainly are
for me it is filter coffee

Yoga Sadhana

To me yoga sadhana or the practice of yoga constitutes the following:

• External
• Asana, pranayama, bandhas, diet regulation, sleep regulation, brahmacarya, ayurveda, silence, right speech, right action, right effort, right livelihood, manifesting divine will

• Internal
• Meditation, concentration, awareness, silence, stillness, brahmacarya, right view, right intention, complete understanding, development of the heart, surrender, manifesting divine will, liberation

• Social
• Ecological living, equality, holistic development, ahimsa, right education, holisitc health care, sustainable and just economics, right livelihood, social cleansing, brahmacarya, manifesting divine will

From the above list, almost everyone will fail in more than one count in every category. The idea is to keep this supreme goal in mind and relentlessly try to match up to it! God willing, one will be able to touch the goal often enough in ones life!

Education

Education is the cultivation of discriminative knowledge between the following and the skill to use them appropriately:

• Patanjali's psychology vs Jung's psychology
• Ramana's I vs Descarte's I
• Buddha's rules vs Newton's rules

மொக்கை போடுவாரை பொறுத்தல்

அகழ்வாரைத் தாங்கும் நிலம்போல் மொக்கை
போடுவாரை பொறுத்தல் தலை!

Photos from FB

Forgetting seeing!

I forget I can see
Knots appear in my sight
I step into the ditch
I remember I can see
I see
This seeing invokes grace
Grace descends
Knots dissolve
Out of the ditch!

Dharma pravrittih; Adharma nivrittih

"Janami dharmam, na ca me pravrittih;
Janami adharmam, na ca me nivrittih."

I know very well what is dharma and yet I cannot follow it.
I know very well what is contrary to dharma, and yet I cannot abstain from it.

  -- Duryodhana!

Many instances of this fellow are within us! When shall we cleanse ourselves?

Prana shatakam

I shape mind, intelligence ,
ego, and thought positively
My five parts enter you, produce the seven elements in you,
I help ears, tongue, nose and eyes function well,
I give voice, move hands, feet and other organs,
The movement of life is due to me,
I am prana, I am prana, servant of Narayana!

I participate in the game of enmity and friendship,
In the game of competition, money and assets
In all games I participate; victory and defeat do not matter
What matters to me is the desire to
ameliorate things and push everything towards the divine
I am prana, I am prana, servant of Narayana!

I am present in Science
In minuscule amounts in that science
which is swayed by power and greed
But, in huge amounts in that science
which is at the sole service of discovery of truth
that which is without prejudice, without bias, without falsehood
I am prana, I am prana, servant of Narayana!

I am present in Spirituality
very little in that kind which is sold as a product
little more in that kind which is built on personalities
But in immense amounts in the one
which is built on genuine inner quest for the divine
I am prana, I am prana, servant of Narayana!

I am present in Social Work
very little in the one that is partial
even little in ones with motives
much less in ones without sincerity
but in vast amounts in that which works for true change
a total change - inner and outer
I am prana, I am prana, servant of Narayana!

I help bring about change
from sins to good deeds; from suffering to happiness;
for one and all; without discrimination!
I have no death, nor do I worry of it!
I am not worried of personal liberation!
I will be around until his leela goes on!
I am prana, I am prana, servant of Narayana!

5 faces of Yoga

Depending on ones state of being, different definitions of Yoga work. From a very high view point, all of them may be equivalent. But, it may be useful to hold and relate to all of them.

• In a religious state of mind, Yoga is that which connects one to ones ishta devata or favourite deity. For me, Yoga is that which shows me Ram in my heart and helps me surrender to him!

• In an utilitarian state of mind, Yoga is that which cleanses all impurities in me - physical, physiological and mental and keeps me in a state of perfect poise to face the world. Clears the way to the discovery of manifestation of ones deeper desires.

• In a moralistic state of mind, one sees the forces that pull one in unhealthy / evil paths and the forces that pull one towards healthy / holistic paths. Then, Yoga is that which minimises the former and powers the latter.

• In a silent state of mind, one witnesses / becomes the state of perfect silence within and without. Then, Yoga is that which attaches the external part of oneself to the silent state within and gets the silent part to direct the external.

• In an activist state of mind, one sees so many impurities (causing intense suffering) all around. Then, Yoga is that which touches the infinite well spring of positive energy within and helps one spread that positive light outside. In such a relating with the world, ones impurities are seen clearly and are eliminated.

 

யோக சூத்திரம் - ராம கானம்

காலை எழுந்தவுடன் யோக சூத்திரம்
பின்பு கனிவு கொடுக்கும் ராம கானம்!

வேண்டும்

எண்ணிய முடிதல் வேண்டும்
நல்லவே எண்ண வேண்டும்
திண்ணிய நெஞ்சம் வேண்டும்
தெளிந்த நல் அறிவு வேண்டும்!
பண்ணிய பாவமெல்லாம்
பரிதி முன் பனியே போலே
நண்ணிய நின் முன் இங்கு
நசித்திடல் வேண்டும் அம்மா!

Yoga of elements with examples

Elements in subtlest to grosses order! Along with my examples of the same!

Hari and Siva

1. First they are different

Clearly they are two different entities / objects. They are called by different names and have a different presence and feel about them.

2. Then they are same

This is the dawning of wisdom. One sees people fighting (warring?) with each other in their names and questions how a all knowing and all loving divine can instigate such feuds? One recognises the entities identified in the previous stage to be mere stones.

3. Then they are different

If the dawning of wisdom continues, one develops individually. One has more and more nobler goals and ambitions in life. But, there is opposition. The world opposes the flowering of these ambitions. One suffers like how birds that escaped a forest fire suffer for the sake of their little ones that perish in the fire. One is desperate and one seeks guidance. Clearly, Hari and Siva are identified and they seem to be opposing each other. The creating / sustaining power of Hari clashes with the increasing entropy of Siva. The stones are no more stones.

4. Finally, they are same

Through divine will, if the noble intentions are sustained and carried out, at the pinnacle of the individuals growth, Hari and Siva unite! When this happens, one may say Hari and Siva are one! No stone is a stone any more!

Yoga of the Elements

The mind is a function of the body. Since the body came out of matter, the mind also has qualities of matter. Hence, the functions of the mind can be analysed using the five elements that make up matter - earth, water, fire, air & space.

Yoga of earth 

योगाङ्गानुष्ठानाद अशुद्धिक्षये ज्ञानदीप्तिर आविवेकख्यातेः - Yoga Sutras
Adhering to the limbs of yoga cleanses impurities, lights the lamp of wisdom and gives the highest discriminative intelligence.

This implies understanding of the various stages / limbs of yoga and continuous / systematic adherence to them is the Yoga of this element. This forms of the unshakeable foundation of the Yogi!

Yoga of water 

शुबाषुबाब्यां मार्गाब्यां वहन्ति वासना सरित
पोउरुषेण प्रयत्नेन योजनीया शुभे पथि!        -  Yoga Vasishta

Tendencies flow on healthy and undesirable paths. Men of wisdom put in the right effort to direct them along the healthy paths!

Like water flowing on earth waters both the thorn bush and the tulsi tree, our tendencies are nirguna (without characterisitcs). They flow in all directions. Consequently, societies and various institutions take on healthy and unhealthy shades. Identifying this and non-judgementally directing all tendencies into healthy directions is the yoga of this element.

Yoga of fire 

तपः स्वाध्याय  ईश्वरप्रनिधानानि क्रिया योगः  -  Yoga Sutras
Continuous cleansing of oneself, self analysis and surrendering to god are the action components of yoga.

This is the primary energy provider and accomplishes lot in less clock time. Continuous and rigorous cleansing of oneself of impurities in all dimensions, continuous digging deep into oneself to understand the entirety of ones being and surrendering to the divine will at all moments are the primary characteristics of this element.


Yoga of air

या निशा सर्व भूतानां तस्यं जाग्रति संयमि  -  Bhagavadgita

Those who are awake even where everyone is asleep is the Yogi!

Intuition is a sacred gift. It can transport us out of any state of darkness by first helping us identify it. It cannot be jailed. This element can never be trapped by the combined weight of all of existence. It can always find the truth and thereby stay awake.

Yoga of sky

ऋत्म्भरा तत्र प्रज्ञा  -  Yoga Sutras
Always side with the absolute truth.


The absolute holds all pairs of opposites within itself. It is without opposite. It is absolutely still and for that space is needed - the vast expansive space of the sky. This element provides the same.

All human minds have these five components. In the phase of developing them, these elements may appear to contradict each other externally. It implies lack of depth in the being internally. When sufficient depth is acquired, no external contradictions can be found.

The mind in which all these five components are continuously doing all of these five yogas is the mind that is in a state of Yoga!

Kaivalyam

sattva-purushayoh shuddhi-samye kaivalyam!
Liberation is when the mind acquires the perfect purity of the soul!

-- Yoga sutras - Vibhuti pada - verse 56

Further photos from FB

Interesting photos from FB

Light

Do you have enough light in you to direct yourself? Then, and only then, absolutely no third party advice is needed!

Agni

Even without doing the advised prayers, Agni arrives all by himself! What are the repercussions?

Yoga

Everyone does Yoga. Some do it consciously and others unconsciously. Some do it competently and others incompetently. Some are propelled by intelligence and others by suffering. Naturally it is better do it consciously, competently and be propelled by intelligence!

-- Adapted from Matthieu Ricard's words!

Mountain and butterfly

As the mountain flaps its wings
the butterfly is born!
As the butterfly closes its wings
the mountain is!
Between these two ends
life flows ceaselessly!

Some quotes from chess players

Many of them may also be applicable to non-chess life :)

"Playing rapid chess, one can lose the habit of concentrating for several hours in serious chess. That is why, if a player has big aims, he should limit his rapid play in favour of serious chess." - Kramnik

"Young players expose themselves to grave risks when they blindly imitate the innovations of masters without themselves first checking all the details and consequences of these innovations." - Alekhine

"Your body has to be in top condition. Your Chess deteriorates as your body does. You can't separate body from mind." - Fischer

Mountain and I

The birds have vanished in the sky,
and now the last cloud drains away.
We sit together,
the mountain and I
until only the mountain remains.

 -- Li Po

திருவண்ணாமலை - ஸ்ரீரங்கம்

திருவண்ணாமலை ஒரு புறம்
ஸ்ரீரங்கம் மறு புறம்
பிறந்த வீடு எது?
புகுந்த வீடு எது?

நெருப்பும் நீரும்
மாறி மாறி உள்ளே செயல்பட்டு
நெருப்பினுள் சாந்தம் இருப்பதையும்
நீரினுள் சீற்றம் இருப்பதையும்
ஓயாமல் பேசும் பண்டிதநிற்கு உணர்த்துமே!

இறுதியாக அவன் ஒரு முறை கூறுவான்
மௌனம் சரணம் கச்சாமி!

Intellect

Evolution of the intellect (on one dimension)
Prose -> Poetry -> Silence

Essential nature as Prana

Prana does not worry about liberation, rebirth or suffering. It does what it has to do and that is to push all form continuously towards the divine in every possible dimension! Blessed are those who have discovered this to be their essential nature!

Develop super powers

Wonderful little intro to developing 9 practical super powers

राम प्रपत्ति

राम प्रपत्ति क्लेश कर्म निव्र्त्तिहि!
On surrendering to Ram, one is liberated of impurities and consequences of action!

Deer on path

When you are hurrying to give a yoga class and a deer blocks your path, smile and enjoy its graceful walk! Lastly, thank the auto driver for not honking and scaring it away!

ஆன்ம மனம்

ஆணவ சினம் தழைக்க
ஆன்ம மனம் அழுகும்!
ஆதலால் பார்த்தா,
சாரதியின் இச்சொல் கேட்டு
ஆணவ சினம் அழித்து
ஆன்ம மனம் பெருக்கு!

சூனியம்

ஒரு வீட்டில் மழலை சிரிக்க
மறு வீட்டில் ஒப்பாரி ஒலிக்க
அதுவென அழைக்கப்பட்ட சிசு
பெயரிட்டு வாழ்த்தப்படுவதும்
அவரென அழைக்கப்பட்ட மனிதனோ
பெயரின்றி பிணமாய் கருதப்படுவதும்
மிக இயல்பாய் இருந்தாலும்
இல்லாததுபோல் இயங்கும் உலகைக்கண்டு
அழுவதா சிரிப்பதா அதனுடன் போராடுவதா, அல்ல
சூனியத்தை உணர்ந்து பேசாமல் அமர்வதா?