For the Patanjali readers:

1) How does Patanjali seem _similar_ in his views to the worldview / beliefs of the late Vedas (including the conception of Brahman)? How is he _different_?

2) How does Patanjali's teaching appear to respond to the crises we've discussed?

East-Religions.1.2: Amber Campbell (acampbel) Wed, 24 Sep 1997 12:16:32 CDT

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According to our discussion and the class reading material, the Vedic worldview is life-affirming. In other words, your life here on earth is for your enjoyment and heaven is just an extension of the good times here on earth. Therefore one is in no rush to get to heaven, since life here on earth is relatively good. During this time although some metaphysical questions were beginning to be asked, answers were diverse and underdeveloped. Brahman is the ultimate divinity. The invading Aryan society began to lose its hold as the original Indus religion of experiential unity. To control the resurrection of older religions, the Aryans invented the caste system. Enforcing this system was the Dharmasutra or laws cropping up at a time of crisis. Hierarchical order was created in the face of chaos of the older religion coming back in the Buddhist and Jains religions. The problem with this worldview was that if you told the lower castes not to want a good life, but to look inward causing the self to become a problem. To satisfy this crisis, one tried to accumulate good karma so they could advance to a higher caste in their next life. Doctrine of Karma states that you are responsible for your material condition, therefore society can't be blamed and the caste system remains intact. Belief in self annhilation. Patanjali's Yoga Sutra does not engage in a search for new knowledge, but seeks a way to clear the mind of accumulated experiences and memories that bind us to a world of pain. This kind of practice culminates in a state of spiritual freedom. In many ways, Yoga is more individualized than the Vedic worldview. The self is all important, not annhilated. However the Yoga Sutra solves the crises by working on improving the self through meditation and attaining spiritual freedom while continuing to be a part of the caste system. Through meditation one can block out the physical realities of their life, which for lower caste members could be difficult, to achieve a higher individual state to obtain the freedoms not given to them in the physical world in this life.

East-Religions.1.5: Amber Campbell (acampbel) Tue, 30 Sep 1997 17:10:02 CDT

In piecing together how Patanjali's Yoga Sutra and Sankara's Self Knowledge, I found they tended to overlap. The Yoga Sutra seemed to be the practice or foundation to the theory behind Sankara's attainment of Self Knowledge. During discussion on Monday, I began to understand the relationships between the two texts through the road to Self Knowledge stated by a classmate about the Sankara text. Austerity of the body, austerity of speech, and austerity of the mind were all described as foundations that had to be fulfilled before one could start on the path to self-knowledge in Sankara. Meanwhile, these practices of how to obtain austerity in each of these categories are decribed in detail in the Yoga Sutra.

In The Limbs Of Yogic Practice it states, "The eight limbs of yoga are moral principles,observances, posture, breath control, withdrawal of the senses, concentration, meditation, and pure contemplation," (Patanjali, pp52).

"Aversion to one's own body and avoidance of contact with others comes from bodily purification. Perfection of the body and senses comes from ascetic practice, which destroys impurity," (Patanjali, pp55).

According to Miller's interpretation of Patanjali, "the purification of the body makes one aware of its imperfections and the absurdity of attachment to it. This cultivation of aversion to the body also gives the yogi a distaste for physical contact with others and increases inward focus," (Miller, pp56).

Posture, breathing and withdrawal of the senses were detailed in the Yoga Sutra on how to perform them properly. Once one could control their body, then meditation could begin. This correlates to Sankara in the belief that the body has to be pure before you can become enlightened. In other words, inner dimensions are impossible to attain unless one first pays attention to the body. Yoga seems to be the 'How To Book' whereas the Sankara text seems to explain why one performs yoga. Yoga provides the cleansing of body and mind to prepare for the road of self-knowledge. One cannot realize that 'I am Brahman' until one performs the transformations of Yoga.

"Cessation of the turnings of thought comes through practice and dispassion. Practice is the effort to maintain the cessation of thought. Practice is firmly grounded when it is performed for a long time without interuption and zeal. Dispassion is the sign of mastery over the craving for sensuous objects. Higher dispassion is a total abscence of craving for anything material, which comes by discriminating between spirit and material nature," (Patanjali, pp32).

One of the first steps in Yoga is to separate the self from the corrupting forces in the physical world. "The subtle forces of corruption can be escaped by reversing their course. One can escape the effect of their turnings through meditation. Subliminal intention formed in actions, rooted in the forces of corruption, is realized in present and potential births," (Patanjali,pp47). Ignorance, passion, hatred, egoism, and the will to live are the corruptions which one must escape.

These corruptions are present in the physical world, so one must turn internally through meditation. These forces create subliminal impressions. Miller goes on to state that it is thought and action that are involved in an endless round of reciprocal causation, (pp48). To escape the suffering in the caste system, one can alleviate that pain through meditation.

"Absolute freedom occurs when the lucidity of material nature and spirit are in pure equilibrium," (Patanjali, pp 72). In order to achieve this type of freedom, one must achieve insights and extraordinary powers to pentrate the deeper levels of reality, (Miller, pp 73).

I didn't truly understand Atman until hearing the Sankara interpretation in class. Atman is the soul or self which is deathless, birthless, and an unchanging reality behing the body. Patanjali looks at one's mind in Part Four of the Sutra through transforming one's thoughts, actions, structure of thought with reality, thought and spirit and thought and the observer. Finally after all corruptions of thought have ceased, one can obtain knowledge which leads them to spiritual freedom.

"This infinite knowledge means an end to the sequence of transformations in material things, their purpose now fulfilled. Sequence corresponds to a series of moments perceivable at the end of a process of transformation. Freedom is a reversal of the evolutionary course of material things, which are empty of meaning for the spirit; it is also the power of conciousness in a state of true identity," (Patanjali, pp83).

When one realizes that Self, Atman, and Brahman are one entity then one is enlightened and self knowledge is complete. One is striving to peel back the layers covering this understanding called gross body (sensory & past actions), the subtle body (perceptions), and the casual body (ignorance imposed upon Atman). Therefore Yoga is simply the steps one takes to reveal that the self is actually Brahman. Yoga is the foundation for self knowledge.

Does any of this make sense? Am I doing this assignment correctly?

Please comment!!!!!!!!!!! Amber Campbell

Melissa Mobley

I had planned to write about Perfect Discipline and having extraordinary powers. I felt that perfect discipline was an important part of the Yoga practice. It is discussed in part three of the book. Perfect discipline is achieved when concentration (keeping thought in one place), meditation (focus on a single conceptual flow), and pure contemplation focus on a single object. I picture this as when thoughts are perfectly aligned instead of being scattered in all different directions. I feel this is important because one main idea of Yoga is to separate yourself from the material world on concentrate solely on your internal being. Mastery of perfect discipline, which is mastery over your thoughts, can lead to widsom, truth, and mastery of extraordinary powers. In theory, these powers give you the control to make yourself invisible, to have the ability to walk on water, even foreknowledge of your death, etc. Really what you are doing is taking control instead of letting the material, outside world control you. A person is ultimately trying to reach absolute freedom by putting everying into equilibrium.

East-Religions.1.6: Shanna Weaver (sweaver) Wed, 01 Oct 1997 08:51:17 CDT (42

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Patenjali's resolutions to the 3rd crisis

One major issue within this particular belief is derived from the conflict between the need to lose the self in order to be "saved" and the need to retain the self in order to complete the caste duties required by society. Patenjali's Yogasutra responds to this conflict through a circular solution that provides a purpose for both sides of the conflict.

The purpose of Yoga is "to cultivate pure contemplation and attunate the forces of corruption" (p. 44). Barbara Miller explains that one must distance themself from the chaotic factors of the world in order to diminish this corruption (44). Yoga provides a means to doing this. It allows escape internally. As you turn inward, you begin to drown out the worldly factors that keep you from experiencing salvation.

Yoga provides a means to escaping the self. Through this process, one must stop thought, including memory, because memory has the ability to shape future events. If memory is allowed to shape futue events, escape is not possible, and therefore salvation is not possible (p.31-32).

This is where the conflict comes into play. Yoga provides a way to escape the self by turning toward the inner self. This seems to contradict the very statement that one must escape the self, but in fact, allows the caste system to remain intact. If one is on a lower rung of the caste system, it is their own fault, and their goal for that life is to collect karma so they can progress through the caste system. Memebers of lower societies are not allowed to learn religious aspects, so the loss of self does not affect them. As one progresses up through the caste system, they begin to learn religous practices and are told the self is bad. They then can begin to practice yoga, which allows them to begin to turn from the evil of the world (i.e. materialism that causes flaws in the self), and begin to work towards an understanding that they are Brahman. The steps of this solution allow both sides of the conflict to be played out. Members of society fulfill their caste duties, yet as they progress, also begin to turn away from the very thing that helped them achieve status, and they come to the realization that, in the end, it no longer matters becuase they are Brahman. They are one.

I hope this makes sense, it is difficult to put such thoughts into words.

Shanna Weaver

East-Religions.1.7: Carrie Blehm (cblehm) Wed, 01 Oct 1997 12:08:04 CDT (62

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This is something that was not discussed in class and I'm having a little trouble understanding. page 47

The subtle forces of corruption can be escaped by reversing their course. (10)

One can escape the effect of their turnings through meditation.(11)

Subliminal intention formed in actions, rooted in the forces of corruption, is realized in present and potential births.(12)

As long as this root exists, actions ripen into birth, a term of life, and experience in the world.(13)

These actions bear joyful or sorrowful fruits according to the actor's virtue or vice.(14)

All life is suffering for a man of discrimination, because of the sufferings inherent in change and its corrupting subliminal impressions, and because of the way qualities of material nature turn against themselves. (15)

Suffering that has not yet come can be escaped.(16)

On page 48 Miller says "the comentator Vyasa suggests that a virtuous stock of such intentions results in rebirth as a god, while an evil stock results in a lower birth as an insect, animal, or social outcaste. . ." To me this is reinforceing the caste system. All most imposing a fear on its believers to do good or you'll come back as a rock, which would not be able to meditate and realize that it is Brahman.

What i am having truble understanding is when miller states "... When the fruits of action(Karma) and the seeds of thought are eliminated by the means of meditation, thought no longer sustains the world, and what has evolved collapes into itself, like a black hole." I understand how the seeds of thought are eliminated throught meditation. That's the whole point. But how is Karma eliminated? Is this saying that through meditation the finite accumulation of Karma disappears once one has reached the realization that one is Brahman. It would would make sense because one would no longer need Karma once they were Brahman.

Regarding verses 15 and 16 Miller states "...Suffering that is yet to come can be avoided, however, by relinquishing attachment to any desired outcome in the future, since such outcomes are illusory." I disagree with her on this. One, I don't think it would be possible to not desire a certain outcome of the future, when it is regarding one's quality of life. Two, Once one reaches Brahman, doesn't the reincarnation cycle stop?. Therefore, one would no longer be suffering in the circle of rebirths.

One other topic I thought was very related to this passage was on pages 82-83 The Knowlege that ends in Freedom.

Then the infinity of knowledge, released from impurities that obscure everything, leaves little to be known.(31)

This infinite knowledge means an end to the sequence of transformations in material things, their purpose now fulfilled.(32)

Sequence corresponds to a series of moments perceivable at the end of a process of transformations.(33)

Freedon is a reversal of the evolutionary course of material things, which are empty of meaning for the spirit; it is also the power of consciousness in a state of true identity. (34)

This I feel is a summary of all that this book teaches. Once one realizes that they are Brahman, impurities will dissovle and true knowledge will been seen. Material things will quit changing and have no meaning to Brahma. One will know who one truly is.

I'm not sure if this is what was wanted, but it is what I have.

Carrie Blehm