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Table of Contents NOTE from the EDITOR 1 Table of Contents NOTE FROM THE EDITOR ....................................................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 AN OVERVIEW OF THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE ............................................................................................... 5 THE FIRST STEPS ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 LIBERATION CAN BE ATTAINED BY ALL ......................................................................................................... 10 HELPING OTHERS ................................................................................................................................................... 12 YOGIC INQUIRY: “WHO AM I?” ............................................................................................................................ 13 THE NATURE OF THE MIND ................................................................................................................................. 14 YAMA ........................................................................................................................................................................... 15 NIYAMA ...................................................................................................................................................................... 18 ASANA – POSTURE .................................................................................................................................................. 20 PRANA ......................................................................................................................................................................... 21 UNDERSTANDING PRANAYAMA ......................................................................................................................... 22 INTUITIVE KNOWLEDGE & PROOF OF HIGHER REALMS & WHY BREATH CONTROL WORKS ...... 28 HOW TO PERFORM PRANAYAMA ...................................................................................................................... 34 THE CONTROL OF PSYCHIC PRANA ................................................................................................................... 35 PREPARING TO MEDITATE .................................................................................................................................. 37 RAJA YOGA: A CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................. 40 2 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR It has been a great honor to work directly with the writings of these spiritual figures and put together this exposition on the path of jnana yoga which focuses on clear thinking, wisdom, meditation and intuition. Yoga is an individual pursuit. Yoga means union, to yoke with, to connect and reconnect. Yoga is the process, the daily effort, to consciously return to our innate feeling of wholeness, or connectedness with existence. It is a human pursuit and deeper than any belief system. It is the common quest for peace of mind and heart which ultimately underlies all activity. Each of us has a unique journey to undertake because each of us has unique experiences and circumstances, both inwardly and outwardly. At the same time the basic principles of yoga can be codified for we all have emotions, thoughts and intuition, the structure of which is common to all human beings. Just as we all have the basic same digestive tract with our unique food choices, so too our commonly structured minds and hearts are filled with unique content. This compliation is structured around the sage Patanjali’s codification of yoga which is thousands of years old. He equates the aspects of yoga to a tree with eight limbs. Raja Yoga written by Swami Vivekananda at the beginning of the 19th century was his commentary on Patanjali’s writings. The writings I have drawn from reference a wide range of Indian texts. It is offered to the reader to explore these source materials and enjoy countless hours of spiritual reading. This compilation was created for private use, for the purpose of non-profit education. Sale or reproduction of this work is prohibited under international copyright laws. A bibliography of works is cited on the last page. Sujantra McKeever April 2013 San Diego, CA 3 INTRODUCTION There are three major paths, or roads, of spirituality: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga. Jnana is the path of knowledge or wisdom. Within Jnana Yoga there is a special branch called Raja Yoga or the Royal Road, on which one runs the fastest. You can call it a shortcut. It deals with tremendous aspiration, eagerness and constant dedication. A mystic follows the path of Raja Yoga. A mystic is not someone who is vague, or who lives in the moon-world, even though, unfortunately, people identify a mystic as such. A mystic is a seeker who, with dynamic energy, wants to discover the Truth in the fastest way, through intuition-power. Using the third eye, he will see the Truth faster than anything, faster than a bullet. But if an individual wants to have that kind of weapon, then naturally he has to give up everything that is undivine in him. Everything that is divine, he will accept and try to cultivate in his life. A mystic is he who wants to see the Truth, as soon as possible, in the most illumining and fulfilling way. A mystic is not someone who spurns everything practical. But here in the West and in India also, people do not pay attention to the mystic. They simply say, "He is not practical. He cares only for God; he does not care for the world. He is only looking at the sun, looking at the moon, looking at the hills. He is not for this world." But a real mystic is he who wants to see the divine mystery in everything, in nature and in human beings. He wants to go to the essence, to the Source, faster than any human being dares to imagine. This is a real mystic. (Chinmoy) − Sri Chinmoy 4 AN OVERVIEW OF THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE QUINTESSENCE OF INSTRUCTION (Upadesa Saram) A number of Rishis were living with their wives in a forest Ashram practicing Karma Yoga (karma yoga – the yoga of action) in the form of rituals and sacrifices as laid down in the Vedas, convinced that in this way and this way alone could they attain Liberation. Lord Siva decided to give them a lesson and convince them of their error. He visited them in the form of a sadhu accompanied by Vishnu in the form of a beautiful maiden. All the Rishis fell for the maiden, while their wives became enamored of the Sadhu. This enraged the Rishis who, by their thaumaturgic powers, created an elephant and a tiger to attack and destroy Siva. Siva, however, easily slew both and taking the elephant’s skin as a robe, he wrapped the tiger’s skin about his shoulders. The Rishis then perceived that they had met with one infinitely more powerful than themselves. Falling at Siva’s feet, they asked him to give them the correct teaching, as they now realized that their powers were only superficial. Bhagavan was requested to write a poem giving Lord Siva’s instructions, which is as follows: 1. Karma must ever yield its proper fruit, For thus it is ordained by God, Himself, Supreme Creator. Then is Karma God? No, for it is itself insentient. 2. Of Karma the results must pass away, Yet leaves seeds which in their turn will sprout And throw the actor back into the floor Of Karma’s ocean. Karma cannot save. 3. But acts performed without attachment’s urge And solely for the service of the Lord Will cleanse the mind and indicate the way Which leads at length unto the final goal. 4. Worship, reciting of God’s Holy Name, And meditation, mainly are performed By body, voice and mind, and they excel Each other in the order here set down. 5. If we but recognize this Universe Of eightfold form as from of God, Himself, And serve in adoration all the world, This is of God most excellent worship. 5 6. Constant repeating of the Holy Name Is more than praise, at length the voice will sink To silent repetition in the Heart, And in this way is meditation learnt. 7. Better than meditation that recurs In broken fits and starts is that which is A steady ceaseless flow, like to the course Of falling oil or a perennial stream. 8. Worship of God is in no way distinct From him who worships, or in other words Thinking that “He is I”, is better far Than any other kind of worshipping. 9. To rest in the Real Being, that transcends Our every thought, by reason of the strength Of our devotion to some thing conceived; This of supreme devotion is the truth. 10. To be absorbed again into one’s Source It Karma, Bhakti, Yoga, Jnana, all These things in truth. Or put in other words Good works, Devotion, Union, Gnosis, too. 11. As by the fowler birds are caught in nets So by the holding of the breath within The mind can be restrained. This a device That will effect absorption of the mind. 12. For mind and life expressed in thought and act, That is with thought and action as their function, Diverge and branch like two boughs of tree, But both of them spring from one single stem. 13. Suppression of the mind in two ways comes, Absorption and extinction; mind absorbed Will live again, but mind which is destroyed Will never more revive, for it is dead. 14. When, by the means of
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