Samadhi Pada (chapter one) is an overview of Raj Yoga describing the situation of how the Unlimited Infinite Mind, Source of Consciousness, causal spiritual essence, beginningless eternal spirit, or seed of the Intelligent Consciousness Principle (called cit) becomes obscured, distorted, corrupted, modified, fragmented, covered, disconnected, interrupted and/or discontinuous and hence locked up in the confines and confusion of the individual "mind-field" (chitta-vrtti). Rather than leaving us there, Samadhi Pada then describes process oriented practices how this limited individual mindset is again re-united/connected through yoga (union) in the ultimate and most complete state of union, samadhi. In short, man's spiritual milieu is that his cognitive faculties are disconnected from the great Integral web of Creator/Creation. This disconnection or spiritual self alienation is called ignorance (avidya) and is the cause of suffering (duhkha).
Thus yoga is the process of taking us back home where we dwell in our original unconditioned and unmodified true nature (swarupa). In the Yoga Sutras, the modifications or biasing of the mind is called vrtti in Sanskrit. The mental state, called citta-vrtti, is mankind's ordinary and normal (but not natural) condition; rather it is a distorted and impaired state of disturbed or agitated (vrtti) consciousness (citta) which manifests as a wavelike ripple, a colored filter, pattern, and/or limited skew which is habitually imposed (as normality) upon the natural unobstructed, vast, and profound panorama of pure natural unconditioned consciousness (citta). Vrtti attach to the citta producing vrtti-citta; that is, producing artificial, biased, skewed, prejudicial, and limited thought patterns -- in short, a spin -- which solidifies the stagnant and coarse state of chronic separation and spiritual self alienation which characterizes common dualistic thinking.
This citta-vrtti, characterized by specific recurring thought patterns and activities, are our past programs and patterns of conditioning which limit our experience of the Eternal Now, and hence it is the vrtti (with its concomitant samskaras, kleshas, vasana, and karma) which are the operating principles of avidya (ignorance) which in turn are the causal constituents of the spiritual disconnect/discontinuity. Authentic yoga practice in turn cancels out and annuls (nirodha) these vrtti. Then we are thus enabled to reconnect -- reuniting eternal spirit with our embodiment -- as a manifestation of living love in the present, thence it is said that we abide in our own true self nature (swarupa). Thus yoga is defined as the process which removes the vrtti while the corpus of yoga are the processes and applications of the techniques (sadhana) which attenuate and remove (nirodha) the acquired component stains upon pure consciousness (citta), thus allowing a balance, harmony, and synchronicity to occur between our consciousness and our actual state of being or rather the unitive state of pure consciousness, pure beingness, and pure bliss co-arise (satchitananda). Then yoga is a process of bringing us back into our natural true state (swarupa).
Yoga is both a verb and a noun. It is the process, the action, technique, and spirit which motivates us toward integrity and union; and it is the result union itself. Samadhi (reunification) is the object, fruit, result. Simply put, this is what the entire Yoga Sutras are about and which is the essential statement of chapter I, sutras 1-3 of the Yoga Sutras.
"The chitta, by its own nature, is endowed with all knowledge. It is made of sattva particles, but is covered by rajas and tamas particles; and by pranayama this covering is removed." -----Vivekananda, page 181 Raja Yoga
Thus the many practices (sadhana) of yoga can be described as "processes" and procedures that deprogram the negative conditioning thus liberating the individual's modified consciousness from the conditioned matrix of limited "reality" back into its Original, Natural, Primordial, and Unmodified state -- the very Source of inspiration, genius, and creativity. This is described as the realization of the non-dual state (where eternal spirit is no longer absent) of Union (as yoga). Thus the Yoga Sutras describe processes (gives practices) how an average sentient being who may be so motivated may rid themselves of confused, lonely, alienated, nihilistic, and fragmented tendencies and become reunited, harmonized, and integrated with the natural innate order of reality-as-it- truly is -- in its own true form (swarupa); and thus unite in forming a natural and intimate sense of confidence belonging as part of creation (and hence the creative force) in this very life and in this very world. This produces a profound sense of well being, contentment, fulfillment, peace, and joy devoid of fear, insecurity, or attachment.
In the first three sutras (sutra means thread and these threads weave a fabric), Patanjali weaves a concise and integral definition of Yoga. Concisely, he says; "Yoga is a process of becoming free from limited patterned definitions and distortions of the field of consciousness called chitta-vrtti. Then the unfettered Source of all Seeingness -- of pure consciousness itself -- abides as the seer inside and is revealed as the underlying reality in All Our Relations. To complete this union and make it whole is to realize our true nature (Sutra I.2 and I.3). This is the natural alignment and integration of beingness and consciousness --Sat and Chit, which brings about absolute fulfillment, completion, and peace (ananda). In a tantric non-dual sense then, yoga becomes the culmination of love where creator and creation (as shiva/shakti) join together in this evolutionary creative action, spirit and nature are joined, sky and earth, mind and body, sahasrara and muladhara, manifesting as a continuous self abiding living implicate order of pure integrity -- of All Our Relations. Through functional yoga practice this "reality" is integrated more completely and continuously -- increasingly shining through not only in meditation and "spiritual" practices, but also in our daily lives -- in all our relationships.
Yoga is thus a process designed to bring the practitioner (sadhak) into awakening or samadhi (the experience of transpersonal and non-dual union/absorption), or rather more specifically into the final stage of self realization called nirbija samadhi (samadhi without seed), wherein even the seeds of future vrttis have become eliminated and dissolved (nirodha) in the state of citta-vrtti-nirodha.
The scene of Pada I, Sutra 1 is (as it always has been) the underlying all pervasive primordial Eternal Now, which is beyond words, name, and form; Formless it yet it includes and underlies all form. The speaker, Patanjali, emerges out of this eternal now to break the profound silence and describe in words for the benefit of the present and future generations that all pervasive Great All Inclusive Reality of Integrity in All Our Relations - That Boundless Reality which is beyond the power of words to define or describe. A contradiction? No, because his words teach us how to go beyond words and concepts via practice.
Thus these teachings of yoga differ vastly from book knowledge, where before Patanjali wrote them down they were part of a living oral tradition passed on from generation to generation into fit vessels, where the practice itself is designed to reveal the teachings -- to activate the inner teacher. Patanjali says in many places that success in yoga is dependent upon going beyond the individual human process and beyond words. For example in sutra 9, Patanjali says: shabda-jnanaupati vastu-shunyo vikalpah (true wisdom where the ordinary monkey mind stops its spinning is when the words and concepts cease). Hence this translation will necessarily remain an interlineal interpretation, where the true and most profound teachings awaits the sincere seeker in the more subtle and silent spaces in-between the lines.
Patanjali tells us right from the start in pada One, that the context of yoga is all inclusive and lays beyond the grasp of the intellect (conceptual mind), and thus he tells us that we must develop the innate wisdom in order to successfully "understand" the subject. Thus the way to study the sutras is to read them and then to mediate and reflect upon them, rather than to approach it as an intellectual exercise.
Christopher Chapple, in "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali", Satguru Publication, New Delhi, 1990, says in his introduction:
"To understand Patanjali's success, we must keep in mind that the text is one not of positions but of practices. Furthermore, the telos of the various practices, whether described as nirodha, kaivalyam, or samadhi, lies beyond language, beyond intellectual speculation: and this experience, which is itself beyond syncretism or synthesis hold the text together. The text has meaning in that its practice obliterates all meaning. Patanjali has no point to prove: he does not advance one practice above another. The practice which is effective is the one to be used, as indicated in Sutra I:39; yatnah abhimata dhyanad va (or from meditation as desired). Patanjali provides us with an important clue regarding his method in the first pada. When listing all the practices to be undertaken, he uses the connecting particle va (or), not ca (and)...
This method is similar to that employed in the Bhagavad Gita where again and again Arjuna asks Krishna for one truth and again and again Krishna offers Arjuna yet another perspective, another chapter, another yoga. Each view, whether that of a god being sacrificed to or a yogic discipline being practiced, is given life as long as it proves effective. Multiplicity is the rule, without one perspective, one god, or one yoga gaining ascendancy. The culmination of yoga comes when all differentiations are obliterated in nirodha or samadhi. This is not to say that life ends, but a state of being is attained wherein, paraphrasing Sutra I.41, 'like a crest jewel, one has unity among the grasper, grasping, and grasped,' a state of yoga wherein totality is embraced without denying multiplicity."
This translation will try to keep those wise words, in mind.
Summary of Pada I
Sutras I.1 -I.3 The Goal of Yoga
Patanjali first states the goal of yoga which is the cessation of the recurring patterns that distort and limit the field of consciousness (citta-vrtti). Yoga as taught by Patanjali is union (samadhi). Yoga means to yoke, join together, and connect. It is integrity personified -- an integrative non-dual-engagement in all our relations. That differs considerably from reductionist or dualist approaches (samkhya) which can be said to emphasize dissociation, isolation, aloneness, detachment, fragmentation, endless reductionism, alienation, nihilism, escapism, or dvesa (aversion) ending up in a fragmented disparate disintegration (corruptive state). Although samkhya analytical philosophical systems share some of the same Sanskrit terms, their usage and meanings, goals, and context are very different and produce very a different result.
Sutras 4-11 What Yoga is not: The state of spiritual alienation (klesha, karma, and citta-vrtti)
Then he describes the wavering operations of these fractures of the mind field by listing them as to type and category. Here we will witness the controversy that has arose between the radical academic samkhya (reductionist) dualist school which follow Vyasa's (the first written commentary on the Yoga Sutras) interpretation as gospel in contradistinction to the words that Patanjali actually says. This shows up throughout the Sutras but especially in I.5, I.7 I. 19, and I.49. It is this translators understanding that Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is not a book on philosophy, but is intended solely as guidebook such as in the spirit of a lab manual to accompany and aid experiential practices. Thus for the beginner this is the most difficult section in the entire Yoga Sutras if one were to do a comparative study.
To demystify verses I. 5-11, Patanjali is addressing the citta-vrtti and how to eliminate them. He does not limit the vrttis to five, but simply says that they can be so arranged or classified --placing them into five possible categories. Most vrtti exist as combinations or permutations of two or more of these basic categories and hence the classic treatises say that there are 840,000 vrtti.
This is a cogent point, because the vrttis (as conditioned thought patterns) can take on myriad forms. We all know what a vrtti is (the ordinary person experiences vrttis almost all the time except in rare moments of clarity, vision, inspiration, beauty, satori, revelation, meditation, or samadhi). But the problem being is that when cit-vrtti is dominant, we are not normally conscious of its coloring effects; i.e., we are unable to step outside of it and notice or be aware of its influence. Thus one who meditates starts to notice the arising and falling of the vrttis. Eventually through awareness they no longer are capable of misleading us. Thus vrtti is not meant to be some abstract intellectual, but any thought pattern that occupies or possesses our mind field of attention -- any limiting modality of patterning that colors, obscures, perverts, corrupts, limits, restrains, or prejudices our experience of our inherent true nature (swarupa), original mind or infinite mind. The reason vrttis are relevant is because they produce kleshas (mental and emotional afflictions). Both are first attenuated and then completely removed in functional yoga.
Likewise kleshas are also not to be viewed as some abstract or esoteric mystical concept, but rather referring to everyday ordinary experiences which unfortunately arise and surface at many times during the day or night (as well as in meditation) - anytime our buttons are pushed, our chain is yanked, fuses are blown, red flags are waved, -- when we feel disconnected. desirous, or incomplete; when we "react", become perturbed, uncomfortable, needy, compulsive, defensive, angry, fearful, paranoid, grievous, anguished, jealous, hateful, judgmental, disparaging, or are otherwise modify the basic natural condition of Infinite Mind with the aberrations, confusions, or disturbances associated with negative conditioning, past programming, and habits -- when we act out of ignorance, rather than wisdom. These kleshas can be insidious hiding as rigidity, apathy, numbness, deadness, complacency, passivity, and dissociation. Thus simply stated, it is the removal (nirodha) of these vrttis and kleshas which the process of yoga facilitates as we move into greater clarity and self empowerment -- into our true and authentic Self (swarupa).
The traditional academically bent commentaries often enter into dense nitpicking and often obtuse and abstract philosophical speculation detailing the specific mechanisms and dynamics of the vrttis (disturbances and fractuals of the ordinary dualistic mind), but it is precisely this intellectual academic reductionist circumlocution that Patanjali tells us is itself a vrtti. These are the pitfalls that must be dropped for they will bear no lasting fruit, but rather serve as distractions and obstacles.
Sutras 5-11 are not important sutras because they simply describe what yoga is not about; however they have elsewhere been made so overly complicated and obtuse through self indulgent over intellectualization on behalf of scholars, intellectuals, and religionists (versus practicing yogis) that many interested readers have been discouraged to continue. Since I have already pointed out this tendency to bastardize the sutras, from now on this translation will pay less attention on what yoga is not, but rather attempt to spend more time on what yoga is, namely samadhi or ultimate union, which is the main focus undertaken in I. 23- 51.
Sutras 12- 19 Practices starting with the most important, abhyasa-vairagyabhyam (non-attachment to results. Samprajnata, asamprajnata, virama-pratyaya which lead to sabija samadhi
Pstates quite clearly that the essential practice of yoga (in order to dissolve the citta-vrtti) is an intense focused non-attachment to results (abhyasa-vairagyabhyam). Hence yoga is a process oriented practice, not a goal oriented practice. Some say there are two proficient methods that dissolve,cancel, and void the vrtti i.e., vairagya (the continuous practice of letting go, non-attachment, or non-expectation) and abhyasa (consistent or continuous yoga practice). Taken as a whole it is abhyasa-vairagyabhyam which really is meant to be a single practice.
Increasing levels of non-attachment to objects are detailed until the greatest freedom is achieved in I.18 and I.19 which is transconceptual and transcognitive (asamprajnata). Failing liberation through supreme asamprajnata non-attachment to objects (non-dual realization) then Patanjali says that one must then intensify one's practice (I.22). We will actually see later that the entire remainder of the Yoga Sutras deals with letting go (releasing) our attachment upon objects - coarse (vitarka) or even the most subtle (vicara). This can be applied in all yogic practices, such as in asana practice as well as at the end of dharana where we surrender the dualism of any object as well as the observer of concentration into the objectless/goalless state beyond "even the most subtle" where all separation melts down. HERE through successful dhyana thought modifications (vrtti) no longer arise -- there is no longer anything left to let go of. Freedom from attachment is realized (vaitrsnyam). Asamprajnata samadhi is essentially the non-dual state where grasping, discomfort, and craving cease while a sense of wholesomeness and freedom pervades. There are two kinds of asamprajnata samadhi. One is with seed (sabija samadhi) which is temporary (one still returns to the dualistic world and wavers back and forth). The other is without seed (nirbija samadhi). Patanjali considers nirbija samadhi the ultimate crown of yoga.
Sutras I-20-22 Increasing the power and strength of one's practice
Sutras 1.23-29 discusses the practice of isvara pranidhana and isvara's sound vibration, the pranava (aum).
Sutra 30-40:Basic practices and remedies (pratishedha) that destroy obstacles (antaraya) and distractions (viksepa) and thus move the yogi closer to samadhi
Sutras 41- 51 (end) The gradual refinement of the of the field of consciousness culminating in nirbija samadhi (seedless samadhi). This is a description of the various states of consciousness that can occur in deep meditation (dhyana).
Here Patanjali describes the process of moving from ordinary dualistic consciousness which is attached to overly objective ways of existence into a heart centered interaction in a non-dual way through non-dual realization without falling back to confusion (avidya). This section describes the graduated path of the refinement of consciousness from coarse (vitarka), to devoid of coarse (nirvitarka), to subtle (vicara), to devoid of even the most subtle mental processes (nirvicara), completely devoid of asmita (ego ownership and false identifications) and conceptual fabrications (nirvikalpa) which bridges the yogi into non-dual, transcognitive, and transpersonal relationships activating the intrinsic light of wisdom. Hence the last sutra of Samadhi Pada describes nirbija samadhi, the ultimate crown of yoga as union without any falling back into samsara. This is taught to happen in Now awareness. HERE in this very life-forever.
For beginners, it is suggested just to read the sutra translation through once from beginning to end. Use the glossary to get the feeling for the original purport. If you need more, then read the commentary. The commentary is not necessary to understand the sutras, but practice (sadhana) is an absolute requirement.
So let us begin the Chapter on Samadhi, Samadhi Pada..
The Yoga Sutras begin by Patanjali breaking the silence -- the roar of the great stillness, so to speak, to tell us how the universal flux of pure consciousness and pure beingness becomes corrupted, fragmented, restricted, rigidified, distorted, and oppressed (by the action of vrtti -- causing one to experience the vagaries of cit) -- and about the path called yoga, which leads us back into direct communion, integration, wholeness, and complete wholesome fulfillment - to our core center which is the heart of hearts -- into our eternal home once again -- back into sacred synchronicity - which intimately connects us to our true authentic Self and Source.
INTERLINEAR TRANSLATION OF SAMADHI PADA
Sutra I Atha yoganushasanam
NOW begins the teaching of yoga.
Atha: now
Yoga: to connect or join together.
Anushasanam: teachings or instructions.
The above is the literal translation. NOW however is a large word in the context of yoga. So a deeper reading would be:
"From the portal of the Eternal Now (atha) -- freed from the structure of linear time and space -- from the non-ending beginningless ineffable primordial stillness -- the eternal timeless truth -- the Universal Intelligent Source from which all human traditions and written laws are mere poor substitutions-- from that profound HERE emanates the authentic instruction of the transcendental non-dual method that restores integrity, called yoga,
Yoga is thus both simultaneously the underlying all pervasive *reality* of the whole and the *process* of joining together and making whole and complete our own scared intimacy with this vibrant reality in All Our Relations unfettered by temporal limitations and corruptive thought.
In Pure Integrity in All Our Relations, yoga is all-ways available here and now (in the sacred present), and as such, it is at once, the arrival, the abiding, and the unborn universal presence which when experienced is recognized instantaneously as our true spiritual home. We will then truly recognize when we have arrived home.
Enough by David Whyte
Enough. These few words are enough.
If not these words, this breath.
If not this breath, this sitting here.This opening to the life
we have refused
again and again
until now.Until now.
Sutra 1. 2 yogash citta-vrtti-nirodah
Yoga occurs when the field of consciousness ceases its patterned spinnings. Then the mind rests in clear stillness devoid of bias.
Vrtti: A modification, patterned spinning, bias, recurring thought patterns; machinations, wave form vacillations, processing, fluctuations, unstable condition, bias, fractual process, or whirling
Chitta (citta): Mind-field: Field of consciousness.
Nirodha: Cessation, cancellation, null, dissolution, stillness, emptiness, or extinguished.
Citta-Vrtti: thus taken as a whole, the wavering, whirling, spinning, vacillations, agitations, modifications, fluctuations, machinations, restlessness, tumult, perturbation, aberrations, blurring, biasing, tilting, a distorted wave form or energy field, and other fractual process of the field of consciousness. The ordinary situation of the mind where the observer (ego) identifies with the whirlings. A state of mind where the observer associates and identifies with temporal permutations of consciousness..
Commentary: Yoga occurs when the bias and tilt of the mind field has ceased. As a process it can been as the gradual refinement of the distortions of mental field, a process of dissolving, emptying. or cancellation of wavelike operations or machinations of the ordinary thinking processes (vrtti) common to the ordinary dualistic mind, Such machinations colors, limits, and distorts the originalness Pure Universal All Pervading Primordial Mind (Cit or Citi) which always is waiting underneath the wavelike distortions of the chitta-vrtti. .
Yogic processes are designed to cancel out, annihilate, annul, still, or dissolve (nirodha) the fractual and limited wavelike patterns (vrtti) of the conditioned mindset (chitta) -- the perceiver's mind field (citta) so that the unconditioned clarity can shine forth illuminating the darkness and stilling all anxiety and stress continuously -- without interruption. Thus vrtti can be defined as the interruptive patterns and wavelike operations which occlude or disrupt the continuous flow of citta from manifesting.
Various descriptions of the chitta-vrtti are wavelike movement of thought patterns, fluctuating thought processes, wavelike operations, mental machinations, vacillations (including agitation, perturbations, whirlings, spinning), oscillations, mental turmoil, disturbances, disruption, skew, fracture, and further distractions as well as a dulled and vacant mind field many of which are capable of causing affliction and suffering.
In short the chitta-vrtti are the mind "stuff" that form the whirlpool content of ordinary dualistic thinking processes as well as sleep, which create a turbulence, spin, skew, or bias -- which condition, program, color, and distort the original unobstructed true pure nature of the unbiased and universal clear light of consciousness or Infinite Mind (citta). Thus vrtti muddle, color, distort, and obscure that sweet wholiness of consciousness (citta-prasadanam) from penetrating and manifesting into everyday consciousness. The presence of habitual vrtti upholds the fragmentary or corruptive mind which thus becomes habituated to the secondary traumatic spiritual rend of separation from our true Self (the primal trauma). In yoga it is that compensatory habit, bondage, or attachment formed to that afflictive state (klesha) which is the cause of our suffering (duhkha) as elucidated by Patanjali in Sutra I.5. When the vrtti cease or become dissolved/cancelled (nirodha) then the clear light of absolute reality shines forth as our true nature (swarupa). That is the same light that is also in all beings and things simultaneously. That is the awesome process and result of yoga.
Translators often confuse the word nirodha as being active as in the effortful act of stilling, restraining, or even worse as the act of controlling, but rather the word, nirodha, is definitely passive i.e., it is cessation and stillness not stilling, dissolution not dissolving, cessation not the act of restraint in its resultant side. However before the citta-vrittayas are nullified and emptied, yes, an active process occurs. Then of course there is an object that is being transformed from activity to stillness (the citta-vrtti), but it is cogent to point out that it is not the mind-field (citta) that is being stilled or controlled, but rather the machinations (vrtti) which have become attached to it and have been revolving the afflicted mind in circles, In yoga such machinations come to a halt, then the larger Mind's eye is opened. Hence when the mindfield is emptied of all content, a dramatic shift takes place. The wisdom eye is activated and shines forth inside which allows it to recognize itself outside as well then "Reality" is seen as-it-is, in its true non-dual nature (swarupa).
When such limited associations, self identifications, or attachments with the thought processes (vrtti) cease (nirodha), then the self resides in its true non-biased abode -- as the True Self or natural unconditioned mind (citta). Nirodha, as cessation is thus passive to an extreme, yet yogic processes (sadhana) themselves are activities (active) as we shall see. They are designed to bring upon this effect (dissolution) of the vrtti.
The ordinary person who does not meditate has much fun to look forward to as meditation practice empties the mind of its tensions and occlusions, while revealing the truth and true happiness contained herein, because meditation is the act of dissolution/cessation -- of emptying and clearing out of the citta-vrtti. As this dissolution process subsides the waves the practitioner (sadhak) is afforded the opportunity to know their own mind (the instrument and window of consciousness) directly, thus becomes clear. This happens from inside out and outside in, simultaneously wherein the true nature of Self and existence is revealed. What could be more empowering and direct?
When we meditate we become aware of the instrument of our own mind, its wavelike operations, and mechanisms. This awareness allows us to see more clearly -- allowing us to fine tune the instrument, so to speak. and thus bestows upon the sadhak (practitioner of yoga) great liberation. This is greatly empowering, because we now have the opportunity to see how the mind mechanisms and habits work to color and distort "reality-as-it-is. When the dirt and obstructions from the lens is removed (shuddhi), normal perception becomes unclouded and expanded as heightened awareness.
After we start to meditate, we notice that the "ordinary mind-field " (victimized by the vrtti) is both restricted and limited. We call the turbulent aspect of the vrtti, the monkey or discursive mind, which moves through the actions of vrtti. In Sanskrit there are many words for mind depending upon what is governing the mind. The "normal" ordinary mind (called manas) as well as intellectual function (buddhi) are a dim reflections of pure citta. All intelligence depends upon the pure cit (or as we will see in later sutras upon purusha) as its source. Meditation is the process where the vrtti reach cessation, subside, and rest in stillness and complete dissolution. When the cessation (nirodha) occurs the citta-vrittayas being empty -- then samadhi begins -- the self luminous clear light (the light that brings forth clarity) of pure universal transpersonal consciousness (cit) dawns. At first there exits small glimpses as the clouds of vrtti dissipate, while later the experience of samadhi becomes increasingly integrated and continuous as All Our Relations (culminating in nirbija samadhi).
Thus yogic practices (sadhana) consistemntly applied (abhyasa) are designed to quiet and purify the mind field, to bring about nirodha (cessation and stillness), which is devoid of any activity of the individual conditioned dualistic mind. This doesn't mean that the mind loses consciousness, rather the opposite. The entire organism then being liberated from distraction can not recognize a prior but previously subtle connection with the Source of Goodness (Siva the param purusha). It is filled with unlimited consciousness as unobscured cit shines forth.Water, if you don’t stir it,
will become clear;
the mind, left unaltered,
will find it own natural peace.”
Sogyal Rinpoche
The vrtti can take many shapes and forms. Dynamically, the vrtti's wavelike operations form patterns and vortices of manifold modifications, fluctuations, movements, oscillations, , disturbances, perturbations, spins, skew, disruption, revolvings, swirlings, dullness, fractures, or mental turmoil which are at the root of our anxieties, bio-psychic and spiritual tensions, conflicts, stress, afflictions (kleshas), distortions of reality, and confusion. Vrtti can be described as a corruptive agency or fractuous unsteady condition that attaches itself to the citta (pure consciousness) and thence obscures the individual's mind-field. This is the state of ordinary dualistic fragmented and afflicted consciousness (the ordinary mind called manas), where corruptive influences such as spin, bias, taint, kleshas, vasanas, samskaras, karma, and ignorance have become dominant and taken their toll in samsaric (fragmented dualistic existence) as duhkha (suffering). All that is necessary is to still the vrtti. The following sutras identify the five general categories of the vrtti and then methods such as abhyasa and vairagya which allow us to become free from the influences of vrtti.
Devoid of vrtti, pure cit is all inclusive and pervasive than any one isolated discrete mind-scene consisting of a separate seer (the one who sees), the object seen, and the process of seeing (See Sutra I.41), because pure citta (when the vrtti has ceased) is universal -- it is not confined within the dualistic context of a separate ego ("I" sense) or the normal framework of object relations (pratyaya). When this natural unmodified/unconditioned stage of citta becomes churned, distorted, traumatized, rendered, disjointed, perturbed, dis-continuous, or distorted into fragmented patterns, then disharmony, conflict, anxiety, disturbance of the mind-field, disease, discomfiture, and "lack" occur. In this corrupted state of vrtti-citta the mind-stream is traumatized, disrupted, and rended discontinuous.
Thus citta-vrtti-nirodha is accomplished (as yoga) when the self limited thought patterns, biased programming, corruptive fragmenting fluctuations, and negative conditioning on the mind-stream, its mental faculties, with their parallel bio-psychic processes, are de-stressed and remediated. When that veil of burden is lifted, one's field of consciousness no longer being self limited, distorted, nor inhibited, then citta shines forth as inherent self luminous wisdom and lucidity allowing one to arrive home to sacred ground of indigenous self abiding -- of All Our Relations-- our natural state. Another way of saying this is that functional yogic processes create citta-vrtti-nirodha, yoga being both the process and the result. (For more on nirodha, see nirodha parinama in Pada III-9).
Again when this yogic process is continuous, integrated, aligned, and synchronized in All Our Relations-- synergistically in delicate balance and harmony in the light of experiencing our true nature (swarupa) then yoga is easily understood as the process of interconnecting, reintegrating, and synchronizing with our natural unconditioned true self. Then that result is called samadhi (union/absorption, re-integration). Yoga being the process while samadhi is the result, however Vyasa says that yoga is samadhi.
When our intimate alignment of pure consciousness and pure being is artificially modified, obstructed, made discontinuous, fragmented, interfered with, strained, distorted, skewed, stressed, or agitated into fragmented or disparate patterns, then we can recognize that the vrttis are dominant. Then we can apply the remedy of yoga sadhana (for example meditation, the eight limbs (ashtanga yoga), samyama, etc. Thus once we have awareness of the true nature of our afflictive conditions, we will naturally desire release and then learn how to implement the remedies of yoga effectively. Thus the practice of true authentic yoga eliminates the vrtti (modifications of the citta) and establishes the reunification of seer, seen, and process of seeing back into its natural unconditioned, unconstructed, non-dual, uncontrived, harmonious, and naturally interactive dynamic alignment with creator, creation, and creativity (creative spirit). That unification bears ultimate fulfillment in Nirbija Samadhi without containing any seeds that allows one to fall back into samsaric existence. Thus Patanjali defines at the end of Samadhi Pada, what is called, nirbij samadhi as such. One thus aligns with all of creation/creator and enters into that sacred realm, no longer bearing the seed of further suffering stemming from the illusion of a separate "self" (ego).
Sutra I. 3 tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam
Then the seer abides in the unbiased primordial all pervading clear light consciousness which is our true nature.
Alternatives:
So that (tada) we-abide in the original clear light (drashtuh) of our inherent original true nature as-it-is (swarupa) as it is revealed in All.
As we let this light shine through, we then become firmly rooted (vasthanam) and become consummated in our original true nature (swarupa) of pure consciousness [without being uprooted in false identification, distraction, dissipation, dissuasion, or other corruptions of consciousness by action of the vrttis].
Commentary: Again notice that the, term, nirodha is passive. Thus yoga is not the restraint, suppression, nor control of the mind (as is too often mistranslated), but rather it occurs as the cessation, elimination, cancellation, dissolution, or remediation of the chitta-vrtti. When the vrtti cease, the mind field is silent and empty. Hence self liberation (freedom from the egoic mind) is possible at that moment, allowing space for a greater intrinsic intelligence to appear -- the Now Awareness -- the innate dormant self luminous wisdom that was previously overshadowed by the vrttis is now no longer misidentified, but allowed to dawn and take its rightful seat. This is the realm of sat-chit-ananda (pure beingness, pure consciousness, and absolute bliss). This experience is gradually and increasingly experienced through effective yoga practiced over time. Such deep experiences then become more accessible in both practice and everyday acting as mutual synergists. This is the integrative uninterrupted yoga in NOW awareness that becomes continuous -- in All Our Relations.
Swarupa, means in its own original unconditioned true form -- as-it-is, residing in its own rightful abode, or in its true natural form without modification, distortion, or artificial conditioning. Swa means as-it-is by itself unelaborated upon by the mindfield, while rupa means form. Thus swarupa can likewise be defined as being in its own true form as-it-is or natural true "self" devoid of reification. In yoga the true form devoid of the modifications (vrtti) is not an existential, indifferent, catatonic, nor neutral state, but rather a profound transpersonal realization and expression of the unconditioned natural mind. The universal mind stuff shines forth out of Source and as such, beingness and existence are unified, One then sees Reality and all things as-it-is in their true form without distortion or spin. There is no externally imposed limitation of a separate, limited, or biased viewpoint, viewer, or seer, because one's eyes have been opened in this transpersonal non-dual profound sense (as a Seer (Rishi or Rsi) to see Self in all- in the sacred sphere of All Our Relations
Hence swarupa is our own true nature of mind as-it-is. It is identical with primordial consciousness manifested. This occurs when the mind field (citta-vritta) no longer identifies with apparently separate phenomena, but rather the field of view is entirely clear, open, and unobstructed. The prisons of the citta-vrtti that normally coalesce or stick to limited identifications with things no longer occur. This is our natural primordial state -- swarupa-sunyam as Patanjali describes in III.3 as samadhi. It is a state totally empty of a separate self (egoic identifications). This again is all inclusive and pervasive the Unitive and Universal experience of the Great Integrity which we truly are. This is known as self awareness when the veil is lifted. It is known as jivamukti while it is experienced embodied.
Hence we are not identifying here as a body, but rather affirming our true primordial nature while embodied Here and Now in NOW Awareness.
Drastr in this context then is the seer (the one who sees), but here revealing the universal Intelligence principle behind seeing, the process of seeing, the light behind the process because now the seer is resting in its true abode, where vasthanam means simply to abide within -- resting as-it-is without any restlessness. Where the common man's consciousness ordinarily wanders from object to object through the attachment of the vrtti -- through attachment to apparently separate "selves" through processes of limited false identifications or in short through ignorance (avidya), here the seer is not so attached, but rather rests in its true nature or authentic self without delusion.HERE the seer "rests" (avasthanam) in their own inherent true nature (swarupa).
So this, yoga, is a union of consciousness with beingness, then the seer rests in his/her own true nature. In a tantric sense this is when siva (the consciousness principle) and shakti (as the creatrix or manifesting process) are wedded in shiva/shakti -- in the profound non-dual union of satchitananda -- of pure consciousness, pure being, and pure fulfillment and completion. Similarly we can say that yoga is the process that brings us into this completeness -- thus abiding in our natural unalienated and universal timeless state where the machinations of the citta-vrtti have become still and deceased.
Keeping Quiet
By Pablo Neruda
Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;
let's stop for a second,
and not move our arms so much.It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would not look at his hurt hands.Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about; . . .If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead in winter
and later proves to be alive.Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Yoga thus is the liberation of the individual mind from its ordinary habitual illusory prison of fragmented estrangement, held together by grasping onto conditioned imprints of discontinuous past experiences framed in duality and separateness; so it can abide again and dwell in its rightful spotless natural abode (swarupa). In later day tantric terms the practice of yoga then becomes the processes of clearing out the pathways within the body/mind (nadis) and pranic sheaths for unconditioned citta-shakti to evolve and manifest. When the karmic obstacles are removed through applied yoga practice, the prana that flows through the nadis will become balanced and strong -- they will work together in mutual harmony activating the dormant potential of transpersonal non-dual knowledge and bliss. Eventually the alignment of the inner ecology of the body/mind synchronizes with the outer ecology of the universe and then the non-dual and trans-rational synchronicity of yoga occurs in harmony with formless Source.
In hatha yoga terms this occurs when the pingala and ida nadis are strong and synchronized so that they perfectly activate the evolutionary energy in the central column (sushumna) which in turn unites consciousness and being.-- sky and earth, spirit and nature, sahasrara and muladhara, siva and shakti, eternal love with embodied love, undifferentiated consciousness with differentiated consciousness, creator/creation -- as a continuous whole in All Our Relations. In hatha and tantric yoga this is a gradual process that comes about through a balanced and skillful practice (sadhana).
Sutra I. 4 Vrtti-sarupyam itaratra
At other times the seer identifies with the restrictions of consciousness.
Itaratra: At other times. Else wise
Sarupa means with form (compare with svarupe).
Vrtti: Patterned restrictions, bias, tilt, spin, and disparate interruptions of the mind-field.
Commentary: When we are not "home" or not present (itaratra) in the great continuum of eternal NOW consciousness -- when not abiding in our true self nature (swarupa) -- then consciousness (citta) is colored, modified, limited, and disrupted (vrtti). Then the observer identifies with the vrtti. Here we assume that the form (sarupa) that is shaped by the modifications of consciousness (citta-vrtti), rather than as unmodified universal cit (the power behind the consciousness) as it truly is in reality,
Otherwise or at other times (itaratra) when the vrtti operate, then our body/mind energetics will be out of synch with the whole -- the citta (consciousness) will be distorted, disturbed, agitated and fluctuate as it becomes swept up identifying with objects (sarupa) and we will be out of sorts so to speak. The latter state is the ordinary alienated subject/object dualistic state.
Sa, means with, while rupa means, form. When we are not united, aligned, or connected in our true authentic nature (swa-rupa) through yoga, then disharmony and distortion (vrtti) will appear catching us up in "our fragmented dualistic world" where phenomena appear disconnected (sa-rupa) or disjointed - a separation between creation/creator, mother nature/father sky, earth and heaven, root and crown, existence and consciousness, natural manifest order and divine order, the weave of the universe and the universal source obstruct and restrict our synchronistic joyful participation.
Without previously recognizing our corrupted or perverse condition, and without having taken up any expedient, proficient, or skillful method of remediation or reintegration [such as yoga], we become habitually lost identifying with the modifications and aberrations (vrtti) of the mind as an ingrained way of corruption (as "reality") to a point of unconsciously reinforcing our own imprisonment and illusion at the hellish altar of familiarity. Thus in this way, the dualistic false identification and spiritual self alienation (as existing separate as an ego) thus become our solidified as our "reality".
In the sacred sense, our everyday experiences are best approached as sacred grounds where authentic yoga is to be practiced all the time, while identifying the forms that the vrttis take, realizing how they distort and color our "reality", and then taking this opportunity to remediate/transform the fragmented situation into completeness and integrity -- so that we abide in swarupa (true nature).
In other words accessibility to an awesome and profound sacred true experience as-it-is within the context of eternal Infinite universal consciousness is always possible, but the chitta vrtti occlude it. The "thinking/processing mind" which extracts us from Living Spirit thinks "about" specific limited situations habitually revolves about one object of thought to another object attachment to another. It gets lost in simple fragmented object relationships. It is asleep to the opportunity of Now consciousness (the Cit) which is thus obscured. That way the ordinary mind has become conditioned to skirt Reality, rather than to abide within it. Normally the ordinary mind spins/whirls outwards into various false identifications (sa-rupa) with the vrtti unless we practice yoga that attenuates and eliminates the vrtti -- unless we are graced to recognize and rest in our true self nature -- in the great Unlimited and Absolute Integrity of All Our Relations
In yogic practices such as meditation we learn how to come back home to swarupa -- Reality-as-it-is. As we meditate we see how the interpretive mind has the tendencies to get caught up in objects (either physical sense objects or mental) and we learn how to let them go (through vairagya and abhyasa as will be presented in I.13). Thus the vrttis are at first lessened, recognized, then remediated, let go, and eventually they cease.
Sutras 5-11 then identify the specific vrtti (modifications,spins, disturbances, fractuals, agitations, and corruptive influences of the mind-field). Then sutras 12 to the end provide their attenuation and removal (cessation) so that one can eventually stabilize the realization of seedless samadhi (nirbija samadhi).
Sutra 5 Vrttayah panchatayah klishtaklishtah
These vrttis (wavelike distortions, spins, and aberrations of our psychic field of consciousness) are of two types (tayah) i.e., those which lead to pain and suffering (imbued with klesha or emotional defilement producing afflictions), and those which are devoid of such emotional defilement and affliction, not necessarily leading to pain or suffering being neutral (aklishta). They can be classified and broken down into five (pancha) broad categories (tayah).
Commentary: Here Patanjali classifies the vrttis in five broad categories each of which may be afflictive (kleshas which cause suffering called klishta) or be neutral (free of afflictive results or aklishta). We remember from the previous sutras that yoga is the cessation of the influences of all citta-vrtti (fragmentary, conditioned, and biased thought patterns) so that reconnection with spirit in All Our Relations is made whole and continuous. The kleshas are defined as afflictive emotions which activate activities of body, speech, or mind which cause suffering (duhkha). These kleshas are generally agreed upon to stem from the primary klesha, ego ignorance or confusion (avidya) of our true nature. Ego here not meaning an identification with the body, but identification od a separate self, apart from a non-dual whole -- a separate sense of "self existence or ego delusion (called asmita) where attachment (raga) or aversion (dvesa) to things as well as the body (such as fear of discontinuity or physical death called abhinivesa) are closely interrelated. Hence the kleshas are avidya, asmita, raga, dvesa, and abhinivesa. They can be broken down further in many permutations of the above such as in lust, greed, pride, jealousy, hatred, anger, arrogance, scorn, paranoia, and so on; but the major point is that the kleshas are poisons which severely taint and enslave our mind-field and dictate behavior which results in negative consequences forming vicious circles difficult to break. Thus Patanjali's essential message is that our liberation is dependent upon the purification (cessation) of the citta-vrtti which will at the same time break up the kleshic patterns, negative karma, and suffering (duhkha). This basic theme is repeated throughout the Yoga Sutras..
Patanjali here does not attempt to delineate which kleshas are caused by which vrtti or conversely which vrtti add to which klesha. Suffice it to say that these relationships are associated in holding together the spiritual malaise of alienation, disconnection and separation preventing union (yoga). Effective yogic practices such as meditation will activate our innate awareness and hence the kleshas will become revealed and allowed to self liberate.
Later we shall see that Patanjali suggests effective tools as yoga processes/practices (called sadhana) which are designed to release these fragmentary fluctuations of the mind (vrtti) by practices which remove the kleshas, samskaras, vasana, negative karma, and duhkha. Again as such, this is a process of purification or cessation (nirodha).
A practitioner of authentic yoga can thus gauge their success in practice, by asking if the yogi is less enslaved and burdened by the oppressions of the vrttis, kleshas, samskaras, vasana, and karma or not? Are we less agitated, more empowered, more creative and fulfilled, not only in our yoga practices, but also in our daily activities as well? Do we notice (viveka) the disturbances coming up sooner and do we stay in awareness residing inside of our core energy, our true nature, our center, or heart ever more increasingly? We may ask what helps remove (nirodha) the vrttis and their manifest distractions, dissipations, cravings, anger, grief, jealousies, greed, and other kleshas fall away and cease?
Patanjali simply says that some vrtti are associated with klesha and others are neutral in respect to klesha (aklishta), but all kleshas are related to citta-vrtti. The word, "klishta" is most often mis-translated as pain or suffering, its root being "klesh". However the Sanskrit word, duhkha, is more directly used by Patanjali to mean pain or suffering. So we will use the English word, affliction, for klesha, remembering that kleshas create duhkha and unfortunate karma. Also "aklishta" is often misinterpreted as something desirable or beneficial by some translators, but it is valuable to point out that aklishta merely means the absence of afflictive emotion (klesha) or neutral in this regard. This common misinterpretation of klishta/aklishta occurs because of the bias of some ideologues, religious fundamentalists, intellectuals, and academicians who attempt to exhort the "goodness" of pramana-vrtti (the first vrtti translated as proven theories or "right" knowledge). Such is a grave error and misreading of Patanjali. The common confusion of pramana will be cleared up in the commentary on the immediately proceeding sutras.
What Patanjali simply states in I.5 is that the following five categories of vrttis are capable of reinforcing or exacerbating klesha (afflictive emotions and defilements) or they simply may be neutral in this regard. In the reverse way, it could be said that the kleshas, especially ignorance (avidya), amplify the whirling of the mind (vrtti). In any case when the vrtti cease, so do the kleshas, but one way to get HERE is to abandon the kleshas (we will see how in later chapters).
Sutra 6 Pramana-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidra-smrtayah
Ordinary consciousness is full of a myriad combination of vrttis (that which distorts the mind field preventing us from seeing clearly); hence Patanjali breaks them up by the five mind-vagaries (citta-vrittayas) of:
1) Pramana: Fractuous modalities or modifications of the citta-vrtti caused by belief systems (BS) believed to be righteous, correct, or even superior to others. Thus the recurring patterns formed through bias, filtering, modification, rigidity, spin, or other recurring patterns of consciousness (citta-vrtti) in an attempt to fit experience into such narrow confines. This is due to belief systems (BS), "conventional theories", so called proven theories or so called "right" knowledge held together by ordinary dualistic perception of data input (pratyaksha), deductive reasoning or inference (anumana), consensus reality, the testimony of external authorities (agama) or sacred books. Pramana-vrtti (so called accepted or politically correct views/beliefs) is thus a vrtti -- a modification of consciousness) and thus a hindrance (kleshic) which must cease (nirodha) in order for the process of Yoga to be realized as citta-vrtti nirodha (see sutra I.2).
A proven theory, belief. or "right" view is just that, not the Reality or truth, just like a map is not the actual territory, or a view out the window is not the sky. Pramana indeed most likely will *not* conform to or lead us to the "Real thing". In fact, stubborn fixations upon belief systems is an insidious filter creating a strong barrier to the realization of samadhi as we will show in detail later. Especially when people believe strongly or have grasped tightly onto firm convictions in their tradition, religion, ideology, provincial prejudice, "righteousness", or chauvinistic viewpoints, these type of pramanas are very difficult to identify and surrender. HERE Patanjali says pramana has to be surrendered up on the altar of truth. Further this is the crucial statement that separates yoga from philosophical systems; i.e., yoga is based on experiential practice which informs the sadhak (practitioner) and transforms fragmented dualistic consciousness back to its profound natural unconditioned state (swarupa). Truth and reality is not based on memorizing facts nor conforming to external belief systems which are in the end an attachment to views (asmita-raga klesha). However for many it serves to create a false sense of security and if not pride, arrogance, hubris, and feelings of superiority or inferiority.
2) Viparyayah: Filtering, bias, spinning, modifications, and recurring patterning of the mind-field due to mistaken beliefs based on errors of perception, lies, bad data, propaganda, dis-information, confusion, ignorance, perversity, false identification. faulty reasoning, misperception, etc. Falling into this category is anything that may be proved to be wrong as well as incoherent, schizoid, hypocritical, logical fallacies, and/or corruptive thinking in general. This is similar to pramana except there is an error in the process of perception, the process of inference and/or deduction, and/or in the process of the external confirmation system (those who are accepted as authorities in the know).
3) Vikalpa: (Filtering, bias, spinning, and modifications of consciousness due to fanciful thought processes, contrived and artificial thinking methods, hallucinations, day dreaming, imaginary conditioned cognition, conceptionalization processes, hypothesizing, speculation, fabricated thought, and in general the monkey mind discursive mentation processes of the ordinary mind, based on frontal cortex processes..
4) Nidra: Filtering, bias, distortion, and modifications of consciousness due to dullness of mind, inattentiveness, sleep, being in a daze, torpor, stupor, trance, and alike.
5) Smrti (Filtering, bias, distortion, and modifications of the field of consciousness due to past memories, past legacies, residues, impressions, experiences, nostalgia, grief, trauma, samskaras, etc. Sometimes smrti also refers to ancient sayings by gods, angels, prophets or sages that are remembered, learned, memorized, and obeyed.
Commentary: In everyday life these five vrttis usually do not act individually, but rather in combination with each other vrtti forming and shaping the many seemingly complex waveforms, patternings, and modifications, and obscurations of the citta-vrtti. Hence we can have half truths, inter-acting with stupor, logical reasoning, past conditioning, trauma, and prior beliefs, which combine together as a distortion of reality that veils the truth of clear lucidity. Action based on these distorted waveforms thus can result in karmic activity that feeds avidya and more afflictive emotions and hence produce more negative karmic propensities and suffering (duhkha). In turn these negative karmic storehouse, tendencies, and conditions serve to reinforce the production of more citta-vrttis and hence one is caught in bondage (the karmic wheel of cause and effect). The good news is that yoga is designed to wake us up and help us break that vicious cycle of samsaric existence.
These five vrttis (fractious modalities) can be either innocent distractions and dissipations possessing no negative karmic effect (aklishta) or they may be part of a seed bearing cycle of negative karma (with klesha) such as the vrttis caused by negative propensities and reactions (the kleshas due to ignorance, i.e., attachment, pride, anger, hatred, fear, greed, jealousy, and similar) depending upon how occluded our mind stream (chitta) has become and whose purification eventually provides the antidote as the field of consciousness expands.
The very wavelike operations of the citta-vrttis are always the result of past negative karma (conditioning) and hence an element of avidya (the chief klesha) is thus present. Here though Patanjali is saying that the citta-vrtti can and do produce more kleshas (literally poisons) and as in sutra I. 2 the goal of yoga is reached when the citta-vrtti cease (nirodha) their operations. Then there is unalloyed. uninterrupted, unfiltered, and unbiased continuity of cosmic consciousness. As we will learn at the end of this chapter, it is the vrtti which occlude the self luminous light (prakasa) of consciousness which comes forth when the bonds of the intuitive insight (prajna) is loosened.
Yes, so yoga answers the question of what is consciousness itself and what are the processes which reveal it as well as what are the processes which occlude it. At first we will discuss what it is that occludes and colors it (the vrttis). Then how through practice (sadhana) how to see (vidya).
Yoga answers these questions through practice, not by giving people ready made up answers or texts to memorize or chant. The very process of perception is dealt with. The errors occur not only how we interpret what we perceive such as assigning meaning to a sense object through the filters of proven belief systems (pramana), misconstrued beliefs (Viparyayah), contrived ideation processes (vikalpa), through the limited interpretation filters based on our past experiences (smrti), or through subconscious habits of partial sleep (nidra), but more so than removing these clogged filters *vrtti), yoga practice alters the way we perceive itself -- the process of perception by rearranging the relationships of the object which is observed, the observer, and the process of observing. This new way of non-dual perception goes further than the perception of ordinary sense objects as discrete self existing objects through the agency of the five or six senses, but rather yoga teaches the awakening to our evolutionary nature -- to the true nature of Universal Mind.
Sutra 7 Pratyakshanumanagamah pramanani
This vrtti [recurring waveform dependent upon the operations of the biased mind field] called pramana is constituted of pratyaksha (sense data), anumana (logic or inference), and the wavelike operation of the mental processes surrounding the validation process emanating from dependence upon scripture, authoritative teachers, gurus, accepted external authority, trusted friends, peer groups, or even consensus reality (agama) [all of which externalizes one's attention and extracts our essential power and energy].
Commentary: Some common English translations of the word, pramana are valid cognition, valid proof, valid theory, proven theory, proven conclusion, judgment, authoritative belief system, or right knowledge. Pramana is most often the essential or core building block in forming fixed belief systems (which is another vrtti of course). As stated the problem of vrttis in general is that they agitate and churn the mental processes providing a limited bias thus occluding the full spectrum of mind-field possibilities, but more so they lock the victim in preconceived suppositions which they become rigidly attached to, readily defend, and sometimes aggressively support and advocate thus creating much sorrowful karma and suffering. Pramana-vrtti is a poor substitute for inner wisdom -- inner knowing. Thus the pure cit, pure underlying source of intelligent awareness (or param purusha) which lies at the Source of consciousness is occluded, interrupted, and disrupted which is the opposite of the goal of yoga practice.
As any experienced meditator knows such a biased mind has no place in dhyana (meditation) as described by Patanjali. When we meditate we must let go of all such vrttis or suffer the negative consequences. "Right knowledge" or "proven theory" is often is used in daily life to rigidify the mind stubbornly fixated upon biased beliefs and creeds colored by culture, geography, race, sex, religion, sect, nation, and species. In other words, it is a veil/filter that man grasps upon stubbornly because he/she finds their ego in "it" -- it reinforces their view of separate self. When any true spiritual seeker (sadhak) becomes so fixated, they only reinforce their alienation from the universal Self -- they stand off their spiritual progress. Especially when it it is colored by the belief that their creed is right, good, superior, or better, thus it holds one back from the universal citta. Pramana then is indeed another coloring of the mind.
“It's not what we don't know that hurts us, it's what we know for certain that just ain't so.” Mark Twain
Pramana is the conclusion or judgmental processes of what is right (and thus what is wrong). It forms the basis of assumptions, firmly held (stubborn or fixated) belief systems and similar constructs of the mind which are supported and upheld by the glue (proofs) of external authority (agamah), inference and reductionist logical methods or proofs (anumana) governed by the intellect, and by pratyaksha (dualistic perception and ordinary provincial awareness) which may appear true within a limited situation or context, but which if applied elsewhere serves only to bolster bias, prejudice, pride, and/or further confusion and limited dualistic false identification which most often serves to reinforce straight plane left brain thinking, but at the same time extracts us further from the simultaneously arising universal ground of being.
This is a key sutra where Patanjali makes it clear that yoga is neither a religion nor a philosophical system. It is not based on right knowledge nor wrong knowledge, rather yoga is an empirical grass roots inner experiential system based on practice (sadhana) or direct experience. This direct experience is not pratyaksha as ordinary dualistic perception, but rather a deeper kind of non-dual wisdom (prajna) beyond subject/object duality. Nirbija samadhi (as the goal of yoga) is also not based on pramana (right knowledge), inference (anumana), or philosophical speculation. Although philosophers and scholars are free to speculate on the yoga Sutras, something that they have perhaps over done, Patanjali says repeatedly that it is through practice that the inner wisdom will shine forth and that this occurs when the vrttis are dropped such as in dhyana or samadhi. Dropping pramana then is a necessary step, albeit one of the hardest, because most people have become fixated to external belief systems. They find themselves in external structures and then defend their ego fixation vehemently through argument. Indeed this is the stuff that taken to the extreme religious arrogance, bigotry, crusades, holy wars, pogroms, and jihads are made from where even the murderers deny that they are doing anything "wrong" or harmful, rather they believe that they are doing God's work as interpreted by "authorities" from their holy book.
As such this sutra is most often left ignored, left unchallenged critically, or misinterpreted by scholars, academicians, intellectuals, ideologues, religionists, and philosophers, who themselves have contributed to the plethoric morass of traditional biased written interpretations (who also do most of the translations). They are themselves addicted to pramanas and if one dialogues with them they can not imagine dropping pramana. It is unthinkable to them. Thus they most often translate pramana as "right knowledge" and deny/ignore that Patanjali considers it a vrtti (a coloring). Thus they "interpret" this particular vrtti as being some how beneficial, despite Patanjali's clear statements to the contrary.
One can just pick up most any translation of the yoga sutras and check out how academicians and others who are frontal lobed dominated translate and interpret this key sutra. Even the very idea of valid cognition is dependent upon an object of cognition. This is not meditation (dhyana) as Patanjali describes where one has to let go of even the most subtle thought process. Reading 1.7 in other translations will let you know if the translator is a parrot, ideologue, and/or traditionalist on one hand, or on the other hand, an authentic yogi who is guided by inner wisdom and light -- by their own genuine practice and direct yogic experience. Parroting traditional authority without honest critical or creative insight indicates little yogic experience and integration which in turn creates a disservice to the earnest student as it is misleading.
"There are two kinds of knowledge to be acquired – the higher and the lower; this is what, as tradition runs, the knower's of the import of the Vedas say. Of these, the lower comprises the Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, Atharva-Veda, the science of pronunciation etc., the code of rituals, grammar, etymology, metre and astrology. Then there is the higher (knowledge) by which is attained that Imperishable. (By the higher knowledge) the wise realize everywhere that which cannot be perceived and grasped, which is without source, features, eyes, and ears, which has neither hands nor feet, which is eternal, multiformed, all-pervasive, extremely subtle, and undiminishing and which is the source of all. As a spider spreads out and withdraws (its thread), as on the earth grow the herbs (and trees), and as from a living man issues out hair (on the head and body), so out of the Imperishable does the Universe emerge here (in this phenomenal creation). Through knowledge Brahman increases in size. From that is born food (the Unmanifested). From food evolves Prana (Hiranyagarbha); (thence the cosmic) mind; (thence) the five elements; (thence) the worlds; (thence) the immortality that is in karmas."
Mundaka Upanishad , Translated by Swami Gambhirananda
As we are beginning to see, yoga is based on direct yogic experience that emanates from yogic practice (sadhana), not theory (valid or not). It is this practice (called sadhana or abhyasa) applied wisely which awakens the innate wisdom. In order for that journey to bear fruit, theory, ideology, theology, and even logic must conform to the evidence -- it must be tempered by yogic experience. For the average intellectual dominated by the frontal lobe of the brain, the external locus of authority must be shifted, eventually being surrendered upon the altar of universal truth. Theory and the world of objective facts, finally being seen as the stagnant matrix separating the practitioner to the organic universal flux of where universal spirit acts as the universal being.
Patanjali is saying very straightforwardly that what we tenaciously defend and grasp onto as "right knowledge" -- what is politically correct; what we believe to be right, true, or good -- is a coloring of Universal reality -- is a vrtti, as long as it is supported by outside authority, consensus reality of our trusted peers, scripture, or any external source which we have become dependent upon (agama); reductionist logic, inference, or reasoning methods (anumana); and ordinary mental faculties of dualistic perception (pratyaksha). This vrtti like the rest must ceased in order for the yogic practitioner to realize the higher states of union (or samadhi). Patanjali makes a very salient point in this profound sutra; i.e., that people are suffering from the spin of ideology, top-down mental processes, and theories imposed upon our moment to moment experience by the imbalances and over dominant processes of the cerebral cortex, where normal judgment and decision making processes occur.In short the cognitive process requires an object of cognition and the cognizer, thus creating a dualistic separation from the process of consciousness itself. Cognitive based people are constantly objectifying their "reality" -- constantly placing a separate "it" from the separate observer (I), thus dualistic bias is unfortunately fixated upon. This escape from reality is really an aversion -- a pushing aside the subjective side of consciousness. Fear and the other kleshas exacerbate this imbalance. The imposition of fear and excess fixated pramana upon the rest of the neurophysiology of the living human organism creates both neuro-physiological as well as psycho-neurophysiological impairment
Although pramana may be a theory "proven" through certain methods, one must also take into consideration the limitations of the methods of proof. This glue which often forms the "apparently" benign stagnant fortresses of fixated, opinionated, and stubborn firm belief systems, dogma, ideology, radical fundamentalism, prejudice, and prideful identifications actually is a self limiting vrtti as false identification, a wedge of separateness that separates us from the universal consciousness. Indeed pramana it is a limited manmade, artificial thought construct, bias -- a mind prison produced by preconceived notions, prejudice, and institutionalized fear. -- all of which reinforce false identification and avidya, pramana-vrtti is perhaps the most tenacious and insidious of all the vrttis, because the adherents of pramana cling helplessly upon the very instrument which is drowning them. The proofs of the theory which such people who cling upon pramana hold onto as "right belief" winds up as the justification of their own false identification (asmita-klesha) with artifice and continued methods of "Self" denial It is insidious because one will not question what they firmly believe is right , rather they will resist any such indicators to the contrary, and often very aggressively.
We all know superficial people who are walking encyclopedias of external knowledge, experts or "authorities" in various fields of philosophy, semantics, or religion, but who have no self knowledge or wisdom -- who have no realization -- who have not brought this knowledge into the heart. Patanjali doesn't say that "correct" views or right knowledge are all "bad" or afflictive (klishta), only that such can and often does get in the way obstructing the complete realization of yoga. These vrtti given the right circumstances create klesha, which in turn creates further negative karma and suffering (duhkha) such as aversion, hatred, condemnation, fear, etc). Some vrttis may be neutral in relation to being associated with afflictions (aklishta), but regardless all vrtti, must be let go of and cease in order to walk into the clear light of original deathless mind (in satchitananda).
Through practice uncomplicated, unbiased, and clear observation will reveal that it is more difficult for some one to give up their beliefs, valid theories, ideology, judgments, and prideful attachment to false identifications which have become familiar and comfortable veils and filters of reality because they are rigidified through surface evidence (pratyaksha), logic or inference (anumana), external authority (agama and smrti) or consensus reality. Anyone who has tasted meditation knows that such superficiality is a coloring (vrtti) and obscuration to the full dawning of the inner light. It must be surrendered at the altar of direct experience. Rather the type of "Realization" that Patanjali is presenting is not dependent upon such superficial and external dualistic means, but rather their extinction. He is saying that such methods have to be given up in order to realize citta vrtti nirodha.
Here Patanjali discusses the glue (proofs) that holds together the fixation of pramana-vrtti. Pramana, because it is assumed to be "right" knowledge" and/or is otherwise most often reinforced by the group illusion of the time, group prejudice, group pride, and temporal authority and beliefs becomes more difficult to let go of than knowledge or belief that can be proved to be wrong or perverse (viparyaya). Classically the tenacious glue of pramana (fixated belief systems, conclusions, judgments, theories, rigid mindsets, and so forth) are glued together through the three agencies of:
Following are a few examples. They can be broken down into two categories; i.e., one where the pramana is later proven to be false, but one at first thinks it to be true, and the second category is that the pramana appears to be true, but it is still limits our consciousness and spiritual experience (chit and sat).
A common example is that the world was once thought to be round because people observed (pratyaksha) that the horizon appeared to be flat, then inferring (anumana) that the earth was flat, and this was then confirmed by the church and kings (agama). Later some one came along and "proved" that the earth was round and thus people fixated on that. In reality the earth is not round but spherical and even that has many subtle "anomalies", twists and turns to it. That is the theory or picture of it still does not conform to what it really is. Not even modern scientific theory can account for the shape of the earth and its many changes, yet the earth is-as-it-is despite our many theories of it. That is-as-it-is is direct non-dual perception known when the dualistic tendencies of the mind are put to rest.
Similarly at one time in Europe it was considered to be proven that the universe revolved around the earth. Advocates used certain observations (pratyaksha), reasoning (anumana), and the church and kings (agama) to back them up. If you disagreed you ran the risk of being tortured and killed. Of course today we know that was a "mistaken view" (viparyayo), but one may ask how many mistaken views do we hold today that are generally considered pramana and how is that holding us back from vital and functional living?
Another example which is very common: Some one who has been disempowered and conditioned to be insecure, dissociated, or extracted from their intrinsic wisdom, then becomes dependent upon an external authority figure, a father, priest, pope, religion, bible, president, or other strong authority type. One becomes dependent upon such for their own self worth, position in life, identity, sense of security, meaning and purpose, etc. One develops thus a need to believe in this authority as a substitute for their own reality. Pramana thus can become a comfortable lens or filter in which to see the world, but also one's prison. Then when evidence (pratyaksha) is presented that is contradictory to this external authoritarian system (agama), the soul who has become disempowered and extracted immediately takes that as a threat to "self" (as they feel they have no alternative) and defends the agama compulsively even to a point of becoming aggressive or violent if need be. It doesn't matter if the attack is perceived as being an attack on the belief system itself or on the individual means to which it has become concluded (agama, pratyaksa, or anumana). It doesn't matter if the perceived attack upon the belief system is viewed as primarily religious, political, racial, nationalistic, ethnic, or cultural, the information (pratyaksa) itself is attacked, the other person is attacked, the other person's reasoning (anumana) is attacked, and the other persons authority (agama) is attacked. In some cases the messenger of such contradictions to one;s dearly held belief system is physically attacked and murdered as a the final solution in removing "the problem". These are common occurrences due to pramana-vrtti that effective self awareness will disclose and defuse. In order to manipulate others, exploiters first attempt to extract the victim from their inherent wisdom and thus disengage them from their critical thinking powers and ability making them dependent on "authority". Here confusion (avidya) is the root kleshic of the citta-vrtti. Then in turn the attachment (asmita-raga) to that mindfield (pramana-vrtti) becomes a source for hatred, scorn , rage, and aversion (asmita-dvesa klesha)
Another example is the club mentality. People who have compromised their own values and inner feelings are subject to being corrupted by the join the club mentality, which is none other than play our game and as a team member we will mutually support and propagate illusions, ideology, propaganda, and lies that serve the club. One becomes rewarded as a valuable part of the club --as a team player. But woe to some one who would blow the whistle, reveal the truth, disclose that the emperor is wearing no clothes, then one will be excluded, banished, and even punished (persecuted). One is threatened to conform to the dominant ideology, doctrine, or belief as gospel or become an outcast or worse. Such is not uncommon small town mentality (provincialism) often found in corrupt situations and commonly utilized to maintain control and power by putting down dissent or minorities. In institutionalized racism even the victims are coerced to think of themselves in terms of the dominant force or power structure. In that milieu free or independent thinking and honesty is strongly discouraged. Here the kleshas of greed, desire, self advantage, and fear have created the attachment to this vrtti, and as a consequence adherence to the vrtti, in turn increases the kleshas of increased asmita-dvesa (fear) and insecurity if not adhered to, while promising reward (asmita-raga) if upheld.
Similarly in many small towns there exists a "good old boys" mentality. This is the way "it is". Don't rock the boat and you will be rewarded. Play the game and pretend and you will be accepted. But if you speak up, tell the truth, or reveal the lie there will be enacted serious consequences - punishment. Hence adherence (raga-klesha) to those vrttis obviously produce more asmita-dvesa (kleshas of associated with aversion).
Likewise the same thing taken on a larger scale is the totalitarian state. Democracy presupposes that people are capable of thinking things out for themselves and hence capable of making a functional decision. Such is a threat to exploiters -- those who would capitalize on one's stupidity, loyalty, and enslavement. Authoritarian states,, tyrants, and totalitarian regimes use such tactics as "conform", tow the line, obey, be loyal or suffer. Obey and be rewarded, disobey and be killed or punished. In that environment fear and punishment rule i.e., terror. The more terrorized people are the more they will be persuaded to conform to the sate which promises to protect them as long as it commands their loyalty. One key tactic is to strip the slave of their own sense of inner authority, sense of innate wisdom, self confidence, or ability for critical and creative thought. Once that is achieved, then obedience to the ruling authority remains unquestioned.
"They must find it difficult... those who have taken authority as truth, rather than truth as authority.”
Gerald Massey
A young Palestinian boy observes that an Israeli bomb and soldiers have killed one's mother, brother, sister, and father. That Israelis are occupying his town and beat, arrest, and order around his few remaining friends creating fear and poverty. Through inference, he sees Israelis as the enemy. His religious authorities and town mayor validates this conclusion; i.e., all Israelis are evil and it is his sacred duty to eradicate them. Thus it becomes a proven theory. His hatred and anger (kleshas) toward the Israelis thus reinforced, he decides to be a terrorist killing Israelis and those who support their evil ways.
Likewise an Israeli child grows up in an orphanage because his family was killed by an Arab suicide bomber. He is told by those that he accepts as authority that Moslem Arabs hate Jews. His own experience appears to validate that conclusion. hence he concludes that the Arab Moslems are a threat which must be eradicated. Here both in the preceding example and this, belief pramana-vrtti as proven conclusions lead to more suffering, Which one is right?
Another example, in Gujarat India, there has just been a murderous riot. One's entire family and village has been murdered. You observed it and saw the perpetuators (pratyaksha). Through inference (anumana) it deduced to be Moslems and the tribal chieftain arrives and declares that all Moslems are our enemies. Out of attachment, fear, and hatred (dvesa klesha) a belief is validated (pramana) that all Moslems must be killed in order to feel safe and survive. One's relatives, peers, and leaders confirm that belief. Hence mob hysteria is fed from a proven theory (proven by means pratyaksha, anumana, and agama).
One can go on with a myriad examples of false generalities, stereotyping errors, and false conclusions based on limited observation, inference, and validation which are mistaken. Are the above pramana or viparyaya? The problem is simple, i.e., that people become indoctrinated with belief systems which they no longer question., but rather take the belief to be true and thus their reality is colored (citta-vrtti) by the belief system which acts as a serious filter/bias. or tint. What is necessary then is critical thought, The ability, confidence, and desire to question the BS, and then decide for oneself. This is done through opening up one's own inner wisdom (discriminating awareness) or viveka which we will learn much more about in Pada II. The more discriminating wisdom that one has developed, the less they are fooled or distracted in life and the more they are informed by the heart -- the intrinsic wisdom. Hence this is a two way street; i.e., the more one wakes up the clearer they see the intrinsic wisdom (purusa) in all. The more they see the intrinsic awareness (purusa) in all. the more they wake up.
So this fits the category where the pramana is not necessarily false, but are still severely limiting and afflictive -- still producing fractual modifications of the citta. It is not only that relative observation through the sense organs can be faulty, that logic can be faulty, but also what authority is absolutely trustworthy except the Sat Guru? According to Patanjali there is no external teacher separate from the innate teacher, the teacher of the most ancient teachers (isvara as purvesham). Even a theory which actually corresponds to the Truth, if not derived from direct experience too often may prevent such. For example:
"I am not the body". True statement? It is stated in the negative and thus can create limitation. In one sense we are not just the body, the ego, or separate from the all, but who in truth am I 9the true seeker asks)? If the "I" atman is one with Brahman, then it is all inclusive and not separate (according to a certain school of advaita), thus it includes the body (there being no place where Brahman is not). One can use observation, inference, and authority to validate neti, neti (not I, not I), but this is not the same as experiencing its truth. One may be filled with pride that one has this knowledge, but it is merely pramana, it did not come from direct experience. The above is very similar to the Buddhist negative pramana of proving that there is no independent self. After all where does the ego abide? But pramana based on observation, inference, and external validation should never substitute for the spiritual experience itself which is a more widespread mistake of academicians, fundamentalists, philosophers, and intellectuals than they might presume.
One could go even further by categorizing pramana as to being positive or negative, religious or scientific, partial and contingent, or true and objective, but its common limitation to a yogi is that pramana is both fractualizing and spiritually dysfunctional as it blocks the natural flow of citta -- it holds us back in practice. The larger spiritual knowledge beyond the vrttis is not dependent upon the processes of mere observation, rational inference, and external validation. Take it or leave it, but don't stop there. Pramana is not labeled a vrtti only because the processes of observation, inference, authority, and validation may be limited or faulty, but rather pramana is a very limited and fractional dualistic veil in which the common man peers out into the world with a " spin" on life. It colors the world and reinforces bias (avidya) and bondage preventing us from going further into true spiritual experience, awakening, and liberation (avidya being the major klesha).
Patanjali is really making a profound point here in categorizing pramana as a vrtti precisely because of the common fixation of most of the religious "authorities" and bigots of his day. As such this kind of fundamental questioning forms the basis of heresy. Patanjali is profoundly telling us that yoga sadhana is a search for truth -- where theory and belief are derived from our own direct experience. For this fundamentally spiritual search to be successful it is necessary to first admit our ignorance by saying that we do not know. Secondly yoga sadhana demands that we do not adopt nor hide behind some one else's system, no matter how politically correct it appears, but rather we must find the truth within. Adopting an objectified world based on agama and anumana spells death to the authentic spiritual pursuit. There exists no dark soul of the night for those who have given up their attachment to separateness.
Patanjali repeats this again in I,49:
Sutra I. 49 Shrutanumana-prajnabhyam anya-vishaya visesa-arthatvat
This innate intuitive wisdom (prajnabhyam) must be differentiated (anya) from the mere objective forms of knowledge based on anumana (inference, deduction, logic) and shruti (scriptures, belief, faith, external or objective authoritative sources of knowledge) [no matter how "seemingly" authoritative], which is always less reliable and more coarse than this very special (visaya) intrinsic wisdom (prajnabhyam) which in turn stems from direct truth bearing wisdom (rtam-bhara), which is based on inner direct spiritual experience and knowledge gleaned from practice.
Yes, any orthodoxy, tyrant, or totalitarian order will tell us that pramana is necessary, valid cognitions, proven theories, belief systems, religion, and ethics keeps us from going too far astray. "It keeps us out of trouble", they say, but Patanjali is saying that it also separates us from genuine spiritual sadhana and the source of our true intrinsic authority. As such it is the cause of spiritual affliction (klesha). Patanjali is not attacking the "other" philosophical systems, but rather he says that those who adhere to fixed beliefs or simply belief systems (BS) in general that are not based on direct experience will maintain spiritual stagnation. Thus they can not reach the direct experience of universal consciousness -- of All Our Relations.
On the other hand, yoga sadhana such as advocated in Sadhana Pada (Chapter 2) and in particular, meditation, takes us considerably further beyond the limitations of fixations on any belief systems (pramana) based on dualistic perceptions (pratyaksha), authoritative testimony from books or authority figures (agama), and logical or intellectual methods (anumana). So in sutra I -12, Patanjali says not to get caught up with any vrttis, because they reinforce the vrtti of pramana. Especially not those things (such as agama, anumana, and pratyaksha) that uphold the vrtti of pramana, because in the authentic yoga that is being taught here, that is not where liberation or samadhi comes from, rather they hold one back. Those methods may be helpful for studying engineering, mathematics, law, mechanics, or construction, but they should be put aside (vairagya) when practicing yoga -- especially so when applied to the main method, the practice of meditation.
The point is that the theory is not the experience, while rigid theories (even though not erroneous) too often precludes it because it is severely "limited". Granted a good theory may lead us eventually to the experience (and the experience may even prove that the theory was correct), but in truth the reductionist objectification process which is pramana, must in either case cease altogether if we are to get to the universal boundless Mind which is the true nature of Mind. Pramana is like a theory, principle, or "derived" law while agama, anumana, and pratyaksha are its apparent operators of proof; but Patanjali says that as such this will reinforce the vrtti. In other words walking around with such constructs in the mind (mindsets), we superimpose artificially a very severe limitation upon the potential and very profound/sacred innate depth of our experience, i.e., Reality-As-It-Is -- or swarupa. This filter, matrix, or veil serves as an obstruction, which yoga meditation is designed to utterly destroy. When this dissonance between consciousness and beingness (between sattva and purusha) is destroyed the underlying profound non-dual transpersonal and trans-conceptional REALITY is revealed.
Thus in the end of Pada III in Sutra 55, Patanjali says: III. 55 sattva-purushayoh shuddhi-samye kaivalyam. Translated: "By perfectly balancing (samye) pure beingness (sattva) with pure undifferentiated universal consciousness (purusha) the obstructions are removed (shuddhi) thus disclosing and opening the gate to kaivalyam (absolute liberation)."
Pramana as a surrogate or adopted belief system, ideology, mindset, or "ism" may be difficult to let go of, especially so when we have not been brought up to do our own critical/creative thinking and true self inquiry; but rather to become dependent upon the "boss", master, experts, or consensus external prejudice of our culture or times (so called "reality"). This is where the limitations of dogma and ideology become rigidified as well. This is another good reason to drop it, because real yoga can not be achieved in such a sorry state. This is also the defect of religion, where it demands conformity to behavior, but fails to provide revelation. In fact the dogma compensates for authentic experience and most precludes such. Rather, genuine spiritual discipline is based on providing direct communion. Thus Patanjali quite clearly says that pramana, that which are dependent upon the proofs of pratyaksha (observation), anumana (inference), and agama (authority), may be at best neutral in some situations, but for a yogi whose intention is to realize the Truth in samadhi, all vrtti must be dropped.
It should be mentioned that some advanced spiritual souls may want to point out another kind of belief or world view (which some may call a pramana, but it is not so defined by Patanjali) which is not a theory, judgment, or conclusion based upon observation (pratyaksha), anumana (inference), and agama (external authoritative sources), but rather which is derived from direct yogic experience. Then would that be the kind of pramana which Patanjali calls a vrtti? No, Patanjali is defining pramana in his own way (as a proven theory based upon agama, anumana, and pratyaksha), If however our view of reality and "self" is informed by our direct yogic experience, that understanding is taught by the intrinsic seed source residing -- the omniscient Source as a direct experience of the Great Continuum, then that is by definition not pramana-vrtti according to Patanjali.
Ordinary people limit their experiences, sometimes quite severely because of limited belief systems. In the past accepted authoritative beliefs like: "the world is flat, the sun rotates around the earth, such and such is impossible, and so forth held people back". Likewise today many conventional beliefs supported by apparent observation, inference, and authority severely constrict people back (on and off the meditation cushion). This limitation is due to the imposition of beliefs (right or wrong) upon present experience so that we do not allow ourselves to experience anything outside the box (except in dream or fantasy). The opposite way to go is to have our experiences inform the neo-cortex (where the conceptual functions reside) as to what is going on instead of the neo-cortex dictating to the neurology what is real and what is not. If our experiences can actually feed the entire nervous system as a whole -- without distortion, resistance, or conditioned interpretation born from the imprints and adaptation of childhood games, fear of punishment, desire, ego, pride, jealousy -- in short the kleshas, then a greater sense of inter-connectedness is experienced, greater wholistic function, health and creative expression is realized. This in turn sparkles over into a deeper kind of direct profound experience -- a deepening of the ordinary modality of sense perception or mind perception to a synchrony of both inner and outer worlds -- the inner and outer ecology pulsate as one -- experience and consciousness --heaven and earth -- are merged. It is this profound inner non-dual transpersonal interconnection which then informs, leads the mind, and shapes the view, not ordinary perception, logic, or the testimony of others.
When we acknowledge and honor our deepest heart/core spiritual experiences as our guide in everyday life and are open to this in All Our Relations, then we have no need of the dictates, referents, or external guideposts of beliefs that are born from books, authority, the process of ideation, conceptional fabrication, rational constructs, or ordinary dualistic methods of perception for we have gained insight.
Now the above statements may sound bizarre to the beginner, but it is the common language for practiced meditators, which is the main practice in the Yoga Sutras. Also scientific research has also shown through experiments run with experienced/practicing meditators that the conceptual tendencies of the frontal cortex (in its function of mental fabrication and rationalizing) is greatly reduced, ceases, rests, or is stilled measurably. Meditation may or may not be the common man's game, but it is designed to provide this fruit should one decide to eat from the tree. That is why I recommend Patanjali's "Yoga Sutras".
In this non-dual "reality" which is not constructed by man, but exists by itself from the very beginning then -- this profound or sacred non-dual state, then even the process of feeling other people's grief or simply -- of being empathic, is also not being inter-connected with all beings and all things -- with the grand integrity of everything, but rather it is a fixation on one event or person at the sacrifice of everything else.
Common examples will reveal the common plight of those afflicted by pramana and why it is so insidious. One may gather "right knowledge" and facts and has even been taught how to organize these facts "correctly", so that for instance, one may believe that God is omnipresent, Eternal, Pure Love, and other similar details that may be true in one sense, but still one is not closer to realization really. Unfortunately, here we have even taken a step backwards if our acquired external knowledge creates pride, delusion, false identification, and even greater over-objectification and alienation, which is often the case. Such beliefs are based simply on facts and logic, not the experience. It is rather an objective theory, not the experiential truth or realization. Part of the spiritual malaise is that mankind (especially in the West has already become over objectified -- lost in mental theories, abstraction, and mental processes (vrtti) which have not been reconciled with his everyday experience, but rather tend on the most part to preclude or diminish subjective experience. This is not the way to experience direct spiritual truth.
It does not matter much if these theories coincide with the way things "really are" or on the other hand if they are a miscalculation (viparyaya), dream, hallucination, etc., because one still remains separate and estranged from experiencing Reality directly if we become rigidified around it -- unable to let it go, so that we can experience the universal reality which awaits us HERE. One can try to put all these facts and beliefs in one's pocket or computer or even learn to memorize them and recite them at will, but that is not the enlightenment that authentic yoga aims toward. The bigger danger here, is that such walking encyclopedias of politically correct belief systems (BS) too often confuse their external knowledge from spiritual wisdom and thus self perpetuate their own spiritual stagnation unknowingly. Rather it is far more expedient to skip this neurotic behavior from the start as Patanjali recommends, emphasizing the value of developing direct experience through yogic practice, revealing the inner wisdom, or innate buddha nature. This is why yogis always say, that yoga is neither a philosophy nor a religion. It is not based on theory, on books, nor words, but on direct experience through yoga sadhana.
In practice, we may find ourselves ignorant and not knowing. It is far better to humbly acknowledge our ignorance and thus humbly say to ourselves that we do not know, than to act in acts of defensive/offensive denial and justification. By saying that we do not know in humility, we bequeath upon ourselves the ability to learn and become expanded. This way we seek out the truth and reinforce our passion for self understanding. It would be counter-productive to instead to adopt some one else's belief system (BS), no matter how authoritative (agama), logical (anumana), or seemingly objective (pratyaksha). Rather it is this very humble search of the true seeker who is not afraid to say that "I do not know" -- who is not satisfied with patented answers, that serves as the flame that rekindles the eternal and authentic spiritual fire within.
Another practical example which is relevant to our daily sadhana occurs where one has acquired special or expert relative/dualistic temporal "knowledge" that holds true (as real) in a limited sense -- only conditionally (true for a given place, time, or special condition), but which holds one back from Universal Gnosis. Such relative fixation especially can create stagnation, blockage, and disturbances in our meditation practice unless it is identified and let go of. For instance, it may be true in a relative sense that the body is sitting is a room meditating and that one is witnessing one's body sitting thusly, but if one holds onto this belief held together by ordinary perception of a separate self perceiving apparently separate sense objects (pratyaksha), one will miss the universal reality of one residing in all places, at all times, with form and beyond form -- one will continue to miss nirbij-samadhi. Here the real yogi must constantly attempt to place oneself within the overall context of yoga (continuity) -- in unity with the Great Continuum where all is in creative flux when the practitioner aligns, abides in and is in unity with the core/heart center (hridayam). This is antarika (from the bottom of our heart) sadhana and as such it destroys the vrtti.
All vrtti then must enter into stillness, become nullified, suspended, and cease because they have the potential to produce further hindrances (kleshas) for yogis - further obscuring the field of consciousness. This is at first to be practiced in dhyana (meditation practice) which proves Patanjali correct from our own experience. The practicing yogi must go beyond ordinary pramana to Direct Inner Non-Dual Experience -- to awaken the inborn self effulgent intelligence within (Rtambhara -- see Sutra 48). Later on in the sutras Patanjali elaborates the methods of yoga that destroy the vrttis by destroying ignorance (avidya) itself, but this can not be accomplished without giving up pramana in practice. It is this basic ignorance which obstructs our essential self nature -- our self existing innate natural wholeness called swarupa. For a true yogi, any "view" which is not universal, eventually must be surrendered into the fire of yoga -- all limited views based on time and place must be thoroughly challenged, melted down, purified, disengaged from, and surrendered -- this is the deeper meaning of which the authentic practice of vairagya, isvara pranidhana, tapas, and swadhyaya reveals by itself (through practice).
Now this is easier in meditation but the problem is how do we extend that to all our relationships? If you are working, driving an automobile, engaged in complex mathematical calculations, or running dangerous machinery you have to depend on your senses, reasoning, trusted indicators of course. Even then though we can maintain as much awareness/communion with transconceptional consciousness as possible as use it as a guide, but such "demanding' everyday circumstances tend to draw our energy and awareness outward and dissipate it. Living in retreat and/or in nature it more easy to see the one in the many, to live in a non-dual state where dualistic perception, reasoning, and agama are irrelevant -- where sacred presence is immanent. Thus in yoga we try to continue to extend that non-dual realization (samadhi) into All Our Relations all the time.
Eventually we can throw out all of that "philosophy" thing, all of good and evil, all of belief systems, dogmatic faith, ideology, the imposition of a straight plane rigidity upon the innate creative healing and beauty way of life, once we have realized to some degree the living reality of the organic world as being a reflection of the creator once we see its true nature and how it is an obstruction.
But no, a beginner usually can not effectively throw out all structure before they establish a trusted or firm grounding in some true clarity of the nature of the unconditioned mind (IM), but we can practice at least in meditation letting these structures go (vairagya) while seeing what comes up. This doesn't mean that we are losing anything, but rather we may be gaining something by creating space, just as one clears out old junk from the shelves, then something new that has more functionality may fit there. This suspension of belief is the same as to entertain asking for guidance -- surrendering to isvara. That is part of the practice.
If we are playing a game or buy into some common rules, then within that framework there exists at least a temporary or conditional belief system that has concluded a right and wrong or good/bad, but if two people are of a different religion or value system, how would anyone be able to conclude good or bad or right or wrong. I already said this before in this thread, but again, only if one presumes a universal ethic or principle acceptable to all (such does not exist) -- only then, it would be useful to use the words "good" or "bad", so I avoid it as I have found these merely statements that affirm personal like or dislike, preference or aversion, desire or fear, and the like. that for example is a way one could approach ethics as a philosophical system.
This is not just another way of saying that good/right and bad/wrong exist, but that I chose different words in order to avoid relative confusion. Well, yes it is by all means necessary to use different words, because good/bad and right/wrong depend on the game -- they are culturally or religiously conditioned/determined -- they are artificial results (the works of man) unless we assume the imposition of a universal ethic or principle. Actually I do believe that Reality has such universal principles, but it can't be translated in terms of good and bad. Secondarily not everyone is ready to intimately see and live in such a Reality (yet) so such principles can not be universally accepted and described as even being desirable by all let alone "good". But even beyond desirable and undesirable, that is where the Reality of "what-is-as-it-is" (swarupa) the Reality of I-AM is found without being filtered by preference or preconception. That is not a neutral existential reality, but rather a profound non-dual transpersonal sacred communion with everything, everywhere, and all the time. To talk "about it" (philosophize) extracts us from it. At this stage of my experience this is the culmination of yoga for me. Here one even goes beyond dislike/like (aversion and attraction) -- all attachment is dissolved in the living presence of the Great Integrity in which we are.
Nothing is "wrong" or "bad" about the world as it is, it is only people bitching and complaining or stating their preferences, their needs, cravings, and sense of separation really. First there was inseparable unity, but then came the rend, rift, separation, estrangement, spiritual self alienation of ego. That illusion/delusion has become institutionalized by a conspiracy of men's forces aligned with the matrix of ignorance -- programming. manipulating, and exploiting future generations of man to provide for their neurotic security, comfort, and self gratification. The Reality is that such alienated men will never find fulfillment unless they re-enter the living community -- the whole and find their place as one -- acknowledging their place in the over all context of the inseparable inter-connectedness of the web of life. The good news is that this Reality is always accessible and by its originaless nature inseparable, because the very fabric of the matrix is illusory -- an artificial game .
So Patanjali and Buddha give us practices to transform illusion, ignorance, estrangement, and suffering into realization. It is instructive that Patanjali not once uses the words good or bad and his system of yama/niyama is not at all meant to be a system of ethics or moral laws as so defined in the Western context. The latter system of ethics is simply another way of manipulating and intimidating people.
The Blight of Dogma, Ideology, Belief Systems, Radical Fundamentalism, which are based on valid cognition but not on non-dual insight.
In a parallel way, if we look at any belief system we see a structure or way of ordering the world. This structure is always based on principles (conscious or not). There is a cause and effect relationship formed in such "beliefs" about reality. These structures or beliefs obey certain inter-relationship rules. Many people have tried to map such out in many systems. For example, Science of Mind, theology, religion in general, cognitive science (or biology in general), psychology, phenomenology (Hegel), philosophy in general, physics, metaphysics, astrology, etc. These are all ways of viewing or seeing which have their own laws or theories of inter-relationships/connect-ability.
Now when these "beliefs" actually conform to the way it really is to a point synergistic synergy is experienced -- wow it all becomes clear and things work! Eureka! Here great inventions are discovered/expressed rather than contrived. This is similar to how Einstein described his own discovery. However all the above are recognized as limited as they offer some doorways into discrete specificity expressions of the whole, but still does it