The Psychology of Transformation in Yoga
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The Psychology of Transformation in Yoga Table of Contents 0. Introduction 1. My Introduction to Samkhya and the Psychology of Transformation 2. An Experiential Approach to Transformation 3. Consciousness and Matter in Latent States Purusha – Latent Consciousness Prakriti – Latent Matter Concept of Dualism vs. Monism Principle of Prana 4. The Manifestation – Downward Movement of Consciousness Mahat – The Cosmic Mind Ahankara – The Sense of I Buddhi – The Individual Intellect Manas – The Individual Mind Tanmatras – Matter in Subtle Form The Five States of Matter The Five Forms of Reception The Five Forms of Expression The Twenty Attributes of Nature 5. The Right and Wrong Use of the Manifestation Karma 6. Liberation – the Upward Movement 7. The Yogic Method of Transformation 8. Vedic Astrology as a Method of Transformation 9. The Ayurvedic Method of Transformation 10. Transformation in Daily life 11. The Psychology of Transformation as Yoga Chart - Relationships Between Dimensions Glossary Bibliography The Psychology of Transformation in Yoga By Vaidya Atreya Smith Copyright ©2000 Dedicated to Sri H.W.L. Poonjaji SRI H.W.L. POONJAJI Sri Harilal W.L. Poonja is a disciple of the renowned saint Sri Ramana Maharshi of south India. Sri Poonjaji lived 7 years with Ramana from 1942 to late 1948. Sri Poonjaji is best known in Europe though the writings of Father Henri Le Saux (or Swami Abhishiktananda) where he is referred to simply as ‘Harilal’. In the USA he has become known in the 1990’s primarily through the teachings of Andrew Cohen and a woman called Gangaji. Sri Poonjaji is a mystic of the highest order living the non-dualistic, or Advaitic Vedantic, path of the classical Indian spiritual tradition. His ability to live this traditional teaching and not simply intellectualize about it was so remarkable to the priest Father Le Saux that he devoted several chapters to him in his famous book of the 60’s, Secrets of Arunachala. Another aspect of interest for the Western reader is that Sri Poonjaji is married and the father of several children. This offers a far more practical and accessible vision of classical Vedanta than is normally given by monks or swamis. The teaching methods of Sri Poonjaji are direct and often abrupt. He is adamant that the Divine Consciousness, Atman or Self is everyone’s real nature. This ‘Self’ is always present and is readily available to each person at any moment; no practice is needed to realize the Self. He faithfully continues the same uncompromising teaching tradition of his Guru, Ramana Maharshi. Sri Poonjaji went into Mahasamadhi on September 7, 1997 at the age of 87 in Lucknow, India. The Psychology of Transformation in Yoga 1 Introduction "Some prefer to be non-dualists while others prefer to be dualists. Neither of them truly knows the Absolute which is devoid of duality and non-duality."1.37 Avadhuta Gita After studying several of the ancient Indian sciences over the last twenty-five years I believe a vast misunderstanding exists today regarding the fundamental vision on which these disciplines are based. In the process of teaching these sciences over the last twelve years I have observed that modern people generally have great difficulty to grasp the essential differences between the ancient Vedic Indian thought and present day conceptual thinking. This modern tendency of conceptual thinking is confined to defining the world we live in through psychology and the intellect. This is a fundamental error when applied to the Indian sciences. Additionally, this modern tendency is not limited to the West or other geographical locations – few Indians can now grasp the enormous difference between ancient and current perceptions. As the whole world, East and West, moves towards a more materialistic, psychological orientation this is, perhaps, to be expected. The purpose of this book is to explain another way of perceiving the world that is not psychologically based, but rather experiential. I call this ancient vision “The Psychology of Transformation According to Yoga.” This book begins by explaining the most fundamental concepts of the Samkhya system in simple terms and then analyzes how this Yogic vision of creation transforms our everyday life. The approach of this book is neither historic nor intellectual, rather it is a practical and experiential one. In this book I am presenting my own understanding and experience of the many talks that my teacher gave during the early 1990’s. It also includes my practice as a health care professional for the last seventeen years and as a teacher of Ayurveda for the last twelve years. If there are mistakes they are mine and not my teachers. For most of the early 90’s I was living in India absorbing the Samkhya by osmosis. This still remains the primary teaching methodology between students and teachers of the traditional sciences in India today. Therefore, one can say that the approach of this book is existential rather than intellectual. Present conceptual thinking is strongly dominated by an individualistic, psychological approach that is founded on a mechanical vision of reality. Using the ancient Indian sciences from this ‘mechanical conceptual approach’ has little value. The only value – and that is invaluable – of using the ancient Yogic sciences today is to understand the deeper meanings of life and to help humankind to find happiness, health and peace here and now. That is the purpose of this book. The Psychology of Transformation in Yoga shows us how to live life with good health through Ayurveda and Yoga. It shows us the function of time and how to observe when different periods are beneficial for specific activities through Jyotish (Yogic astrology). Yet, first and foremost it is a practical system for our daily lives. The Psychology of Transformation in Yoga reveals the hidden meanings of life, death, the soul, happiness, health, astrology, esoteric sciences, kundalini, karma and reincarnation - to name a few. Practicing any of the Indian sciences like Ayurveda, Yoga or Jyotish (astrology) without deeply understanding the “Psychology of Transformation” will cause these disciplines to be presented in a cerebral, static manner. This is a disservice as the higher aspect of these studies is lost and they become vulgarized. However, when the deeper purpose of Yoga is revealed these same practices help lead humanity to health, truth, happiness, peace and real knowledge – the knowledge of who we are. The Psychology of Transformation in Yoga 3 Chapter One My Introduction to Samkhya and the Psychology of Transformation "Everything in this universe is filled with the Absolute. And since the Absolute is covered by Itself (the creation) how can I worship that formless, indivisible, immutable Supreme Beatitude?" 1.2 I met H.W.L. Poonjaji in early August 1991. I had bought a small book written by one of his disciples in Amsterdam two weeks before when I was in Europe. Prior to that moment I had never heard of Sri Poonjaji and his message that ‘enlightenment is here and now’ and not some event in the future. From the small book, which told the story of how an American met Sri Poonjaji in India, I had the choice of three cities in India. These cities where the only indication I had of how to find Sri Poonjaji in a country of almost a billion people. Yet, within 24 hours of deciding to find him my two companions and I where virtually thrown to his door in a new suburb of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. My first reaction on entering the bare concrete living room was of my good fortune. There where only eight other people present in the room that morning and we were welcomed warmly even though we came in the middle of a meeting. Having spent the last ten years in a large ashram with thousands of fellow disciples in West India I was happy to see so few people, yet this was not what stirred a sense of good fortune in my awareness. On entering the room I saw that I was with an enlighten being – one of those rare humans who has ceased to identify themselves with their own body and personality. In spite of the current marketing of enlightenment and instant realization there are actually very few awakened beings on the planet – certainly not the ones traveling around saying they are realized souls. I spent the next week trying very, very hard to become ‘instantly enlightened’. I asked Poonjaji a number of questions relating to the functioning of the mind, effort, practice, healing and meditation. Up until that time I had been meditating for fifteen years. Until the summer of our meeting I had been spending an average of three hours per day meditating. I had been practicing a number of breathing methods in Yoga (pranayama) and had also spent the last five years doing Vipassana meditation for an hour each morning. My main interest as a healer had forced me to work intensively with pranic currents in the body through breath. However, in spite of more than fifteen years of spiritual practice I was both dissatisfied and disillusioned with my ‘progress’. This is why I was grateful to at last meet a teacher I could have close dialogs with about my inner transformation (or lack of). At that time I did not know that Poonjaji was called ‘the butcher’ by a number of people in Europe in the 60’s and 70’s for his ability to cut the ego into pieces. I was a bit difficult so it took ‘the butcher’ ten days to dispel my doubts and intellectual mind. In that moment of illumination ‘I’ ceased to exist and what remained cannot really be described, yet is totally familiar as my own ‘Self’ or the real ‘I’.