Self-Discovery and Yoga

October 13, 2004

Although I had a difficult time locating Hinduism’s path to self-discovery within an introductory religious study text, upon just a cursory glance of books on the Yoga Sutra, the material is overwhelming. It would seem the self is one of the major focii of yogic studies.

In Patanjala Yoga, the Self is referred to as purusa, which is also the first of the twenty-five principle of Samkhya philosophy (Aranya 466). Yoga commentators believe in a multiplicity of Selves (Koelman 48).

Self-discovery may be defined as the path to enlightenment. “Each Self should have within itself something that distinguishes it from other Selves, not only while in the stae of bondage, but als after it has reached final liberation” (Koelman 49). Twenty-eight categories of Yogic precepts exist in Tibetan Yoga. Each of these categories contains information dealing specifically with the self. These twenty-eight precepts are called “The Supreme Path” or “the Rosary of Precious Gems,” and are used by those who quest for Divine Wisdom (Evans-Wentz 67). Most of these precepts deal with thought, which “can become a powerful instrument of self-liberation in the hands of those who are taught how to use it properly” (Brunton 188).

These categories are (along with points of particular importance in relation to self-discovery):

1. The ten causes of regret
   • The prime of youth being the period of development of the body, speech, and mind, it would be a cause of regret to waste it in vulgar indifference.
2. The ten requirements come next
   • Unceasing watchfulness and mental alertness, graced with humility, are required to keep the body, speech, and mind unsullied by evil.
   • Spiritual armour and strength of intellect are required for the fulfilment of one’s heart’s vows.
3. The ten things to be done
   • Study the teaching of the Great Sages of all sects impartially.
   • Adopt such regimen and manner of living as will keep thee in good health.
   • Adopt such devotional practices as will conduce to thy spiritual development.
4. The ten things to be avoided
   • Avoid such actions as harm thy mind and impede thy spiritual development.
   • Avoid concealing thine own faults and speaking loudly of those of others.
5. The ten things not to be avoided
   • Ideas, being the radiance of the mind, are not to be avoided.
   • Thought-forms, being the revelry of Reality, are not to be avoided
   • Obscuring passions, being the means of reminding one of Divine Wisdom [which giveth deliverance from them], are not to be avoided]if rightly used to enable one to taste life to the full and thereby reach disillusionment].
   • Reason, being in every action the best friend, is not to be avoided.
6. The ten things one must know
   • One must know that the mind, being without independent existence [apart from the One Mind], is impermanent.
   • One must know that the effects of past actions, whence cometh all sorrow, are inevitable.
   • One must know that sorrow, being the means of convincing one of the need of the religious life, is a guru.
   • One must know that misfortune, being the means of leading one to the Doctrine, is also a guru.
7. The ten things to be practiced
   • Once having experienced spiritual illumination, commune with it in solitude, relinquishing the worldly activities of the multitude.
   • During the period of youth, frequent not those who cannot direct thee spiritually, but acquire practical knowledge painstakingly at the feet of a learned and pious guru.
8. The ten things to be persevered in
   • Should thought-processes be difficult to control, persevere in thine efforts to dominate them .
   • Should there be great drowsiness, persevere in thine efforts to invigorate the intellect [or to control the mind].
9. The ten incentives
   • By reflecting on the difficulty of eradicating erroneous concepts, mayest thou be incited to constant meditation [which overcometh them]
   • By reflecting upon the uselessness of aimlessly frittering away thy life, mayest thou be incited to diligence [in the treading of the Path].
10. The ten errors
    • Weakness of faith combined with strength of intellect are apt to lead to the error of talkativeness.
    • Strength of faith combined with weakness of intelect are apt to lead to the error of narrow-minded dogmatism.
    • Great zeal without adequate religious instruction is apt to lead to the error of going to erroneous extremes [or following misleading paths].
    • Meditation without sufficient preparation though having heard and pondered the Doctrine is apt to lead to the error of losing oneself in the darkness of unconsciousness.
    • Without practical and adequate understanding of the Doctrine, one is apt to fall into the error of religious self-conceit.
    • Unless the mind be trained to selflessness and infinite compassion, one is apt to fall into the error of seeking liberation for self alone.
    • Unless the mind be disciplined by knowledge of its own immaterial nature, one is apt to fall into the error of diverting all activities along the path of worldliness.
    • Unless all worldly ambitions be eradicated, one is apt to fal into the error of allowing oneself to be dominated by worldly motives.
    • By permitting credulous and vulgar admirers to congregate about thee, there is liability of falling into the error of being puffed up with worldly pride.
11. The ten resemblances wherein one may err
    • Desire may be mistaken for faith.
    • Attachment may be mistaken for benevolence and compassion.
    • Cessation of thought-processes may be mistaken for the quiescence of infinite mind, which is the true goal.
    • Sense perceptions [or phenomena] may be mistaken for revelations [or glimpses] of Reality.
    • A mere glimpse of Reality may be mistaken for complete realization.
    • Actions performed in the interest of self may be mistakenly regarded as being altruistic.
12. The ten things wherein one erreth not
    • In having greatness of intellect and smallness of pride one doth not err.
13. The thirteen grievous failures
    • To preach religion and not practise it is to be like a parrot saying a prayer; and this is a grievous failure.
14. The fifteen weaknesses
    • It showeth weakness in one who hath caught a glimpse of Reality to fail to persevere in sadhana [or yogic meditation] until the dawning of Full Enlightenment.
15. The twelve indispensable things
    • It is indispensable to have an intellect endowed with the power of comprehending and applying the Doctrine to one’s own needs.
    • Diligence combined with fortitude and invulnerability to temptation are indispensable.
    • Unceasing perseverance in neutralizing the results of evil deeds, by the performance of good deeds, and the fulfilling of the threefold vow, to maintain chastity of body, purity of mind, and control of speech, are indispensable.
    • A philosophy comprehensive enough to embrace the whole of knowledge is indispensable.
    • A system of meditation which will produce the power of concentrating the mind upon anything whatsoever is indispensable.
    • An art of living which will enable one to utilize each activity [of body, speech, and mind] as an aid on the Path is indispensable.
    • A method of practising the select teachings which will make them more than mere words is indispensable.
    • Indomitable faith combined with supreme serenity of mind are indispensable at the moment of death.
16. The ten signs of a superior man
    • To differ from the multitude in every thought and action is the sign of a superior man.
17. The ten useless things
    • Seeing that all existing and apparent phenomena are ever transient, changing, and unstable, and more especially that the worldly life affordeth neither reality nor permanent gain, it is useless to have devoted oneself to the profitless doings of this world rather than to the seeking of Divine Wisdom.
18. The ten self-imposed troubles
    • To be absorbed in the pursuit of worldly things rather than in nourishing the growth of Dvine Wisdom produceth self-imposed trouble as doth an eagle when it breaketh its wing.
19. The ten things wherein one doeth good to oneself
20. The ten best things
    • For one of superior intellect, the best meditation is to remain in mental quiescence, the mind devoid of all thought-processes, knowing that the meditator, the obect of meditation, and the act of meditating constitute an inseparable unity.
21. The ten grievous mistakes
    • For a religious devotee to be idle and indifferent instead of persevering when all the circumstances favourable for spiritual advancement are present is a grievous mistake.
22. The ten necessary things
    • One needeth to be as confident of one’s mental ability as doth a strong man of his physical ability to hold fast to a precious gem which he hath found.
23. The ten unnecessary things
    • If only the good of others be sought in all that one doeth, no need is there to seek benefit for oneself.
24. The ten more precious things
25. The ten equal things
26. The ten virtues of the Holy Dharma (or doctrine)
27. The ten figurative expressions
28. The ten great joyful realizations (Evans-Wentz 67-99).

The Path of Self-Enquiry is based upon knowledge of the self, and it is essential to meditate deeply upon the theme “What am I?”

This path of self-training is divided into two stages and contains different practices. The first stage is intellectual and consists of analyses which give understanding; the second is mystical and implements that understanding. In the first stage, one sets up a mental current of self-questioning, attempting to ferret out what one really is, and to trace the living being who thinks and feels within the body; whereas in the second the rational thinking mind is switched off, the so-called conscious self is put out of gear to that the mis-called subconscious self may arise (Brunton 190-191).

Although thought and mind are regularly referred to in these paths, they are ephemeral concepts.

One also sees that the mind can either reflect the ‘seer’ or the ‘seen’, but cannot ascertain or determine (avadharana) both at one and the same time (Sutra 20). It is not the mind that ‘sees’ but the ‘seer’ who sees the mind, and, through it, the objective world. He sees the absurdity of assuming that one mind becomes an observer of the contents of another mind, and this another of yet another mind, ad infinitum.... To see the absurdity of this is to see the existential nature of the mind as a neutral link between the ‘seer’ and the ‘seen’. Mind ceases to be the right kind of link when man, remaining unaware of his existential manness, gets identified with the ideational movements of his mind which are invariably propelled by past impressions. So long as this situation persists, man remains unintelligent, and is swept off his feet and carried away into the whirl of events, like a log of dead wood in a raging torrent (Deshpande 155).

The Self can therefore be defined as pure awareness, and self-discovery as the development of keen observational skills. Once a person has perfected their awareness, they will have reached enlightenment.

Works Cited

Aranya, Swami Hariharananda. Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali. 1983. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Brunton, Paul. The Quest of the Overself. 1938. Plymouth: The Mayflower Press, William Brendon & Son, Ltd.

Deshpande, P. Y. The Authentic Yoga: A fresh look at Patanjali's yoga sutras with a new translation, notes and comments. 1978. London: Rider and Company.

Evans-Wentz, W. Y. Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines. 1967. London: Oxford University Press.

Koelman, Gaspar M. Patanjala Yoga. 1970. Ranchi, Bihar, India: Papal Athenaeum, Poona.

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