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What is Yoga?
IN all the Sacred Writings of the world as well as
in the lives of the inspired teachers, prophets, saints, and Seers
of Truth, we find frequent descriptions of miraculous events and
powers, which, admitting a certain measure of exaggeration, must
still have had some foundation in fact. We, indeed, know that from
time immemorial in every age and in every country there have
arisen among the different nations persons who could read the
thoughts of others, who could foresee and could prophesy that
which afterwards came to pass; but most of these people did not
understand the causes of their own peculiar gifts, and tried to
explain them by attributing them to the influence of external
Beings, whom they called by various names--gods, angels, good or
evil spirits.
Some among them even fancied that they were especially chosen to
be the instruments of these higher powers and sought to be
worshipped as the elect of God or of their particular deity, just
as the leaders of certain sects in this country to-day desire to
be adored by their followers. In some instances, those who
possessed these unusual powers were looked upon as divine
exceptions, as Jesus by the Christians, Mahomet by the Mahometans,
and Buddha by the Buddhists. Others again were condemned as
sorcerers or witches, and the fear aroused by such persecutions
led to the secret practice of divers methods which resulted in
still further extraordinary manifestations.
These methods were never written down, but were passed orally from
the master to the disciple, who in turn carefully guarded them as
sacred mysteries. This is the reason why among ancient nations
there grew up so many secret societies, the object of which was to
develop certain powers through various kinds of discipline and
practices. The Egyptians, the Essenes, Gnostics, Manicheans,
Neo-Platonists, and the Christian mystics of the middle ages all
had their secret organizations, and some of them still exist, as,
for example, the Masonic Lodge. None of the members of these
societies ever gave out their secret instructions, nor did they
write any books offering a logical or scientific explanation of
their practices. Therefore, while there were some among them who
advanced far in the attainment of higher powers, the unusual
manifestations resulting therefrom were never understood by
Western nations, neither were they generalized into a system or
science.
In ancient India, on the contrary, as there was no fear of
persecution, the case was altogether different. Every Hindu was
obliged, as a part of his religious duty, to develop through daily
practice certain powers and to strive to attain to the realization
of higher truths. In the streets, on the market-place, in the
courts, and on the battle-field were many who had not only reached
such realization, but who had carefully classified their
experiences and discovered those laws which govern our higher
nature and upon which was gradually built up the profound Science
of Yoga.
Thus we see that this science, like all others, was based on
experience; while the method used in it was the same as that
employed by modern science in making all its discoveries of
natural law--the method of observation and experiment. This method
is regarded in the West as a distinctly modern innovation, but as
a matter of fact it was adopted in India in very ancient times by
the "Rishis," or Seers of Truth. Through the process of close
observation and constant experiment they discovered the finer
forces of nature, as also the laws that govern our physical,
mental, and spiritual being. The truths thus gained through their
own experience and investigations, they wrote down in books,
preached in public, and expounded to their pupils. Before,
however, they affirmed anything about the nature of the soul or
God, they had realized it. Before they asked a disciple to
practice anything they had practiced it themselves, and had
obtained definite results from that practice.
In this way, as the outcome of ages of research in the realms of
nature, carried on by a succession of earnest seekers after light,
there grew up in India various systems of science, philosophy,
psychology, metaphysics, and religion, both speculative and
practical, which were grouped under the one common name, "Aryan
Religion." The term "religion" was used to include all, because at
no epoch in India has religion been separated from these different
branches or from the general conduct of every-day existence; and
the methods by which these scientific truths were applied in the
daily life of an individual to further his spiritual development,
were called by the general term "Yoga."
"Yoga" is a Sanskrit word commonly used to signify the practical
side of religion; and the first concern of the training for which
it stands, is to enforce proper obedience to the laws of our moral
and physical nature, upon which depend the attainment of perfect
health and of moral and spiritual perfection. In Western countries
the word has been grossly misunderstood and misused by many
writers, who have employed it in the sense of jugglery, hypnotism,
trickery, and fraud. Whenever people hear the word "Yogi," which
signifies one who practices Yoga, they think of some kind of
juggler, or charlatan, or identify him with a fakir or one who
practices black magic. The Theosophists have been more or less
responsible for this abuse of the term; but those who have studied
the Sacred Books of India, as, for instance, the Bhagavad Gita or
Song Celestial, as Sir Edwin Arnold calls it in his translation,
will remember that each chapter of that Celestial Song is devoted
to some kind of "Yoga," or method of realizing the Ultimate Truth
and of attaining the highest wisdom; and that a "Yogi" is one who
through various practices reaches the highest ideal of religion.
This highest ideal, according to the Bhagavad Gita, is the union
of the individual soul with the Universal Spirit.
Hindu writers, however, have used the word "Yoga" in various other
senses. I will mention a few of them in order to give some
conception of the vastness of the field covered by this term.
First, "Yoga" means the union of two external objects. Second, the
mixing of one thing with another. Third, the interrelation of the
causes which produce a common effect. Fourth, the orderly
equipment of a soldier or of any person in any profession. Fifth,
the application, discrimination, and reasoning that is necessary
for the discovery of a certain truth. Sixth, that power of sound
which makes it convey a specific idea. Seventh, the preservation
of what one possesses. Eighth, the transformation of one thing
into another. Ninth, the union of one soul with another or with
the universal Spirit. Tenth, the flowing of a thought current
towards an object. Eleventh, the restraint of all thought action
through concentration and meditation. Thus we see how many
different branches of art, science, psychology, philosophy, and
religion are included in the various definitions of this one word.
It seems, indeed, in its scope and range to take in every
department of nature. If, however, we consider the literal meaning
of the word, we shall more easily understand why it is so
all-inclusive.
It is derived from the Sanskrit root "Yuj," which means to join.
The English word "yoke" also comes from the same root. Originally
the literal signification of the two words was almost the same.
The root-verb "Yuj" signifies to join oneself to something, or to
harness oneself for some task. Thus in its primary meaning it
conveys the same idea of preparing for hard work as the common
English expressions "to go into harness," or "to buckle to." The
effort required is mental or physical, according to the object in
view. If the object be the acquirement of perfect health or
longevity, then the effort of both mind and body to accomplish
this through certain practices is called "Yoga." So is it again if
the object be the development of psychic powers. The same word is
used likewise to indicate the mental training necessary for the
attainment of self-control, of the union of the individual soul
with God, of divine communion or of spiritual perfection. Volumes
upon volumes
have been written in India describing the different branches and
methods of this applied science of "Yoga," and the various ideals
that can be attained through its practice; also what
qualifications fit a beginner for undertaking any of these
methods, what stages he must pass through in order to reach the
goal, what obstacles stand in the way, and how they can be
overcome.
Patience and perseverance are absolutely necessary for any one who
desires to enter upon the path of Yoga; those who are not patient
cannot hope to arrive at true realization. Those, again, who take
it up out of curiosity or through an impulse of temporary
enthusiasm, must not expect to get results, and must not blame the
teacher for their failure to do so, since the fault is entirely
their own. The same teachings, when carried out with understanding
and in the right spirit, will bring wonderful results. They will
only come, however, to the student who follows strictly the
instructions of a living master, who will direct him in the
practice of both physical and mental exercises.
Aspirants to the study of Yoga can be divided into three classes:
First, those who are born Yogis. There are some who, having
practiced Yoga in a previous incarnation, come here as awakened
souls, and as such manifest remarkable powers from their very
childhood. Their natural tendency is to lead a pure life, for
right living and right thinking are their sole concern, and they
possess wonderful powers of self-control and of concentration.
Sense pleasures and those things which fascinate the ordinary mind
have no charm for them. Even when they are surrounded by all the
comforts of life and have every material
resource at their command, they yet feel like strangers in a
strange land. Few there are who can understand properly the mental
condition of these characters. Physicians may be brought to them,
but medical treatment may only make them worse; the writer knows
of cases where harm has been done in this way. By the law of
attraction, however, they are bound to be drawn sooner or later
into the companionship of some Yogi. Here they find exactly what
their inner nature has been craving, and at once they feel happy
and at home. The instructions of the Yogi appeal to their minds;
they begin the practice of Yoga under his direction, and proving
easy and natural to them, they soon obtain excellent results. Thus
from youth they take up the thread of the practice at the very
point where they dropped it in their past existence; and through a
firm determination to overcome all obstacles in their way, they
progress rapidly and gradually attain to the highest ideal of
spiritual life. Nothing in the world can prevent their onward
march, so intense and strong is their longing for realization.
The second class includes those who are born as half-awakened
souls. In need of further experience, they go through various
paths without finding the right one. They take each new step
tentatively, and in this constant experimenting, they waste a
great deal of energy and a large portion of their lives. If such
partially awakened souls, following out a tendency created in
their previous existence, have the good fortune to come in contact
with a Yogi and take up the practice of Yoga, they may, through
perseverance and earnestness, achieve much in this life, although
they will necessarily advance more slowly in the path of
spirituality than those who belong to the first class.
In the third class are to be found all those unawakened souls who
begin their search after Truth and the practice of Yoga for the
first time in this life. Even from childhood they are irresistibly
drawn towards sense objects and sense pleasures; and if they take
up the practice of Yoga, they find great difficulty in following
its teachings and meet numerous obstacles along the way. Their
environment is not favorable for the practice, and even when they
try, they cannot easily conquer it. Their health is not good,
their mind is scattered, and they suffer from various kinds of
disease and mental disturbance. They also lack determination, find
it well-nigh impossible to control the senses, and have to fight
hard to adjust their mode of living to the new requirements. With
so much to contend against they naturally obtain but small results
even after long practice. If, however, such persons can persevere
and strengthen their wills through a slow and regular practice of
Hatha Yoga, struggling manfully to overcome the many obstacles in
their way by the practice of breathing exercises and by following
the directions of a competent teacher, who understands them, they
may in this life be able to control in a large measure their
physical health and acquire a certain amount of Yoga power. Hatha
Yoga is especially useful for this class of aspirants. Through the
practice of breathing exercises they will gradually gain control
over their bodies, and will, in course of time, be prepared for
the study of Rāja Yoga, which will arouse the powers latent in
their souls. |
