Summary Yoga Sutras 1-16 (July 9th, 2011):

So far we have read sutras 1 to 16 from Book I.  Sutras 1 to 4 introduce the topic and talk about what the purpose of yoga is.  In her version of the Yoga Sutras[1], Nishala Joy Devi gives a beautiful (although not quite literal) translation of the first 2 sutras:

S.1: With humility (an open heart and mind) we embrace the sacred study of Yoga.

S.2: Yoga is the uniting of the consciousness with the heart.

            We saw that there are many ways to translate S.2 (yogaḥ citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ): [2]

Yoga is:

-          the cessation of movements in consciousness. (Iyengar)

-          the stilling of the changing states of the mind. (Bryant)

-          establishing the mind in stillness. (Ravi Ravindra)

-          the stopping of the fluctuations of consciousness. (Ibid))

-          the quieting of the turnings or projections of the mind. (Ibid)

-          cessation of the turnings of thought. (Stoller Miller)

-          suppression of the modifications of the mind. (Hariharananda)

-          restraining the mind-stuff from taking various forms. (Vivekananda)

The words cessation, stopping, restraining or controlling the vṛttis could convey, in some way or another, the idea that there is something wrong in the functioning of our mind.  But as we saw in sutras 6 to 11, if it were not for the functioning of the mind (citta) through its three aspects: intelligence (buddhi), sense of I or identity (āsmita), and attention (manas) we would not be able to perceive, to know (pramāṇa), to imagine (vikalpaḥ), to sleep (nidrā), or to remember (smṛtiḥ); all of these functions that allow us to feel the world through our sensations, to know and discover new things, to discern between what is good or bad for us, to have a good nap and rest, to create art, and to have memory.  Of course, as sutra 5 says, there are vṛttis that can cause us affliction (kliṣṭa), but there are also others that bring us enjoyment, or that we are simply indifferent to (akliṣṭa).  It is true that our mind (citta) can also make mistakes (viparyayaḥ), although this is not necessarily something negative, since it is from trial and error that we can learn.  So the question is: Why would we have to restrain and bring to cessation the contents of our mind?

Sutras 3 and 4 give the answer:  When we quiet the contents of the mind the “the seer” (draṣṭuḥ), that is, we, abide in our true nature. When the mind is full of thoughts, modifications, turnings, (vṛttis), we identify with them, and loose the real answer to the question “Who am I?”  So the purpose of yoga and the bringing of our mind´s fluctuations to a still point is to find our true self, our true nature; which is beyond any qualification, name, form, judgment, thought, emotion and/or limitation.[3]  The yoga philosophy uses the word puruṣa to refer to our true nature, and you will find it translated as “pure consciousness”, “seer”, or “soul”.

The problem then, is not the functioning of the mind per se, but a particular process of identification (sārūpyam) and perhaps also, a process of “misrecognition”.  Just as in the Greek myth of Narcissus, a handsome youth who fell in love with his own image reflected on a pond, our mind gets lost in the midst of its own creations, forgetting that they are only a mere reflection of  who we really are.  And just as Narcissus would have to take his gaze away (not without effort) from the image in the pond and turn it over towards himself in order to see and realize who that image is, in the same way we need to turn our minds away from its own mesmerizing fluctuations (pleasant as well as unpleasant) in order to see who we really are and where those fluctuations are coming from.

That is why we need a practice.  It makes sense then, that after defining the five types of mental fluctuations or vṛttis, the next sutra (S.12) says that it is through practice (abhyāsa) and detachment (vairāgya) that we can turn our minds towards our self and find the stillness of our thoughts. 

Sutras 12 to 14 define what the qualities of practice are.  Practice involves steadfast effort, applied for a long time, without interruption, with dedication and zealousness.  We talked in class about how some other schools of yoga add the element of grace to the practice in order to avoid an egotistical approach.  Practice prepares our body and mind as a gardener prepares the soil, so that when it is well nurtured, firm and ready to receive the seed, the plant can grow tall and healthy.  In the same way, the yogi, through his or her practice (asanas, meditation, discernment, study, etc.), is establishing the grounds for the seed of the true self to emerge; but this is not a process that comes from the ego or a solipsistic and individualistic effort. On the contrary, the true self can only become manifest when the “little self” is quiet. 

Sutras 15 and 16 talk about vairāgya which is usually translated as renunciation, but it can also be understood as detachment or dispassion.  We saw that there is a very extreme and traditional way to understand it.  Usually, within the hindu ascetic tradition, to renounce means to let go of all possessions, sensorial pleasures and displeasures and social roles.  In a traditional ascetic way, to renounce meant to go to the woods, live an austere life, and meditate in order to find the truth (just as Buddha, who renounced to the palace life, wife and child).   But there is also another way within the same hindu tradition to understand detachment that does not necessarily involve renouncing to the world but renouncing within the world.   To make sense of what renunciation is in our lives and our context, here and now, we just need to think of those things, people, circumstances, and beliefs that we have had to let go in order to move forward.  Renunciation or, perhaps even better, detachment, involves an element of free choice, an attitude and internal decision of releasing the past and accepting the present as it gives itself to us.

  But then a very valid question arises:  what is the difference between detachment and indifference?

The example of performing handstand was given in class.  A student does not want to perform handstand because she says she cannot do it.  But perhaps, if she just detached from the idea of “I cannot do handstand”, she would be able to do it.  The student could also say: “I am detached, I do not really care if I can do handstand or not.”  Would we say that this is detachment?  I would not say that detachment means “not caring”.  It does not really matter if she can or cannot do handstand.  What does matter is the attitude towards the pose.  So, according to my understanding, detachment is not about getting rid of our possessions or not, or not caring about our or others´ emotions or beliefs.  It is rather about how we feel and react towards them.  Perhaps, in order to feel and act free from our attachments towards something, we need to live without it and renounce to it either for a certain period of time or for good.  Practices like fasting, being in silence for certain amounts of time, being alone, or even deciding to live without a house, etc., may help some to achieve such freedom of mind.  The fact is that life is always presenting us with opportunities to let go, some harder than others.  Iyengar talks about five levels of detachment.  We will talk about them next class along with how they relate to the cosmology of yoga and the levels of reality.

            Thank you all for your interest and for making this great study group meetings happen!

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[1] Please see the previous post for the complete reference and other versions of the Yoga Sutras, as well as a preliminary list of commentaries to the Yoga Sutras.

[2] Feel free to add more translations of this very important sutra either in the commentary section or send it to me by email and I will add it to the post.

[3] Think of how this relates to your life.  How would you define yourself after knowing and realizing that you are beyond any label, any description?  How does visualizing yourself as “pure consciousness”, “pure awareness”, “pure light” makes you feel?