Realizing the true self through yoga! Even for atheists?

[Hema]

I use these forms, but through western methods. I will have to look into the eastern methods now, maybe they can help. Thanks for bringing this up Hema!

Sweet water and light laughter
Littledragon

p.s. was Mrs. Vindra alright? I really hope so!

Thanks so much for your kind words Littledragon.

I'm sorry to say that Mrs. Vindra was never found. Most people think that she is no longer with us. However, she was such a beautiful person, I am sure that the Lord will personally look after her. Sometimes there is a saying that when God is so pleased with someone he will call him/her home early. There is also another saying that if you live a good life and you undergo a huge suffering, it is just a quick way to burn off any residual karma before returning home to the Lord. If she has left the earthly plane, I am 100% sure that her afterlife will be filled with peace, love and joy. She was incredibly wealthy and yet one of the most humble persons we knew. I know that God has happiness in store for her. There is no doubt in my mind.

 

[xexon]

Yoga is first and foremost, a spiritual instrument.

The westernized versions have put more emphasis on physical postures than spiritual enlightenment. An unfortunate fact of the pop culture.

All the different forms of yoga are much like traveling through the different climate zones as one climbs a mountain. Some will appeal to others while some will not. It is no sin to move from one to another as one climbs the inner mountain of the soul.

Some caution must be exercised however. As with religion, there are many false prophets in yoga as well.

When you are worthy of a true master, you'll get one. Until then, you take your chances, and reap the rewards thereof.


x

 

[Hema]

Yoga is first and foremost, a spiritual instrument.

The westernized versions have put more emphasis on physical postures than spiritual enlightenment. An unfortunate fact of the pop culture.

All the different forms of yoga are much like traveling through the different climate zones as one climbs a mountain. Some will appeal to others while some will not. It is no sin to move from one to another as one climbs the inner mountain of the soul.

Some caution must be exercised however. As with religion, there are many false prophets in yoga as well.

When you are worthy of a true master, you'll get one. Until then, you take your chances, and reap the rewards thereof.


x

Hey! Good to see you around! :yes: It is true. When most people hear the word "yoga" they think "exercise". I agree that it is no sin to move from one to the other because they are all pathways. I like your comparison to the different climates when climbing a mountain.

 

[vivek_prayag]

Yoga is a mechanism to connect soul with with the supersoul. The physical benefits of yoga happens in preliminary stage.How can you concentrate/meditate if u suffer from pain or disease.The essence of all the yoga are same i.e. to connect soul with supersoul . Also, it is a step by step procedure. One cann't reach to higher level before crossing lower steps.

 

[Hema]

The physical benefits of yoga happens in preliminary stage.How can you concentrate/meditate if u suffer from pain or disease.

I think that Swami Vivekananda stressed this as well? It is very important to be physically fit! The Acharya of our Ashram - Acharya Pranavananda also stressed self-defense.

 

[zenzero]

Friends,
Clearly the mind play is visible between members.
The question should not be of winning arguments. It is not important whether Buddhism was thrown out or it died on its own accord. They are just some facts but HISTORY now.
What needs to be understood is that buddha is in everyone and eventually that uddha too must be killed. It menas finally merge to that nothingness by even denying the buddha as that too is a barrier.

Moses your statement : i am vaishnava of the bhakti type, therefore my interaction with the lord is dynamic, and is one at the same time, that is what transitdental knowlegde is about, the void only takes you half way the great sage shankara who himself was a incarnation of siva drove out the buddist within india he knew the lord has form, but his reasons and purpose was not to express that knowlegde except for his most close devotees who could grasp it.:meditate:

Clearly the ego/mind is visible here.
Love & rgds

 

[Hema]

Friends,
Clearly the mind play is visible between members.
The question should not be of winning arguments. It is not important whether Buddhism was thrown out or it died on its own accord. They are just some facts but HISTORY now.
What needs to be understood is that buddha is in everyone and eventually that uddha too must be killed. It menas finally merge to that nothingness by even denying the buddha as that too is a barrier.

Moses your statement : i am vaishnava of the bhakti type, therefore my interaction with the lord is dynamic, and is one at the same time, that is what transitdental knowlegde is about, the void only takes you half way the great sage shankara who himself was a incarnation of siva drove out the buddist within india he knew the lord has form, but his reasons and purpose was not to express that knowlegde except for his most close devotees who could grasp it.:meditate:

Clearly the ego/mind is visible here.
Love & rgds

So don't you use your mind to think? Yes, I agree that the mind is not the true self.

 

[xexon]

The mind is only a tool the spirit uses while in a body. Besides controlling the bodily functions, it also contain the ego, which is your user interface to the world.

Nobody is without ego, because it is part of the package you get when you take on physical form. The goal is to not let it in the driver's seat, which it does from early childhood in most people. Yoga pulls the ego out of the drivers seat so that the heart can take it's rightful place.

If you are not taught that the ego is not your true self, you will not be able to punch through the cocoon it has woven around you. You cannot see outside. You do not know how small your self created world is until you do.

The mind has one task it does very well. It weights one thing against another to decide worth.

Teach the mind/ego that it is not the driver, show it the superiority of the heart, it will climb into the backseat voluntarily, out of respect of a greater power than itself.

Make an insufficient argument, it will cop a know it all attitude and rebel.



x

 

[vivek_prayag]

advaita philosophy :yes:.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Xenon,
All your points well understood.
Same time any evaluation is done the mind still remains.
Best way is just not to allow the mind to raise its hood at all.
Whatever the argument, religious or otherwise. If one keeps a constant watch on the mind's activity each thought wave becomes visible and can be nipped at the bud. As soon as the mind is at rest one starts to be a part of the whole.
Love & rgds

 

[Hema]

The mind is only a tool the spirit uses while in a body. Besides controlling the bodily functions, it also contain the ego, which is your user interface to the world.

Nobody is without ego, because it is part of the package you get when you take on physical form. The goal is to not let it in the driver's seat, which it does from early childhood in most people. Yoga pulls the ego out of the drivers seat so that the heart can take it's rightful place.

If you are not taught that the ego is not your true self, you will not be able to punch through the cocoon it has woven around you. You cannot see outside. You do not know how small your self created world is until you do.

The mind has one task it does very well. It weights one thing against another to decide worth.

Teach the mind/ego that it is not the driver, show it the superiority of the heart, it will climb into the backseat voluntarily, out of respect of a greater power than itself.

Make an insufficient argument, it will cop a know it all attitude and rebel.



x

Very well put! :yes:

 

[Aupmanyav]

When you are worthy of a true master, you'll get one.

You do not necessarily need one. You have the scriptures, you have the advice of great sages. As the baul song goes, the wind teaches one, the sun teaches one, the stars teach one, the flowers teach one, the birds teach one. And as the song says, why do I need a teacher? (Saves you getting caught up with a sham teacher. Seven have been implicated in India for huge financial scams only the day-before-yesterday, including the famous Pilot Baba. There are thousands involved in sex scams.)

Hema, 'Yoga, even for the atheist'. Why a special mention of the atheists? Yoga is a physical, mental, and psychological regimen. All can benefit from it. An atheist would engage in a system appropriate to his belief (Jnana Yoga). Processes and definitions will differ. Karma and Dharma are essential for everybody.

 

[xexon]

You can attain great heights without a guru, but there will come a time where a living guide will be the only way to cross the bigger rivers.

There is no harm in the study of scriptures or following the advice of great sages, but, if such a person were alive today who had become those scriptures and wisdom, would they be recognized? Who those who follow a book be able to look beyond a pre-conceived idea of what such a person is supposed to be like?

It is easy to imitate being "holy". Some make a good living at it. Know that real holy people don't charge you a single penny. As for sham teachers, would you be angry at the teacher, or at yourself, because of your poor discrimination?

Saints walk among you all the time. Invisibly so. They cannot be seen for who they truly are because those who are looking cannot see. Yet.

Sometimes,"grace" is bestowed upon one, as the religious believe. But for the masses, it is a long and dusty road to come full circle spiritually.

It is an act of love for someone to hold your hand in this journey.

This is the essence of yoga, and the master/disciple relationship.

Big brother helping little brother over the fence.



x

 

[Aupmanyav]

I crossed the rivers without anybody holding my hand. Wish, others, if they need help, are helped by the right people.

BTW, I would like to mention my supervisor in job, a Mr. Subramanian, a divine person (as Bhagawad Geeta defines it). I had only one problem, this very one, why Krishna asked Arjuna to take up arms. Mr. Subramanian explained to me that action has to be without emotions; anger, lust, greed, pride, attachment (kama, krodha, mad, lobha, moha); and only for 'dharma' (duty/righteous action). I never again faced any problem. He sure put me on the right road.

 

[anders]

If any, it would be jñanayoga for me. But I need not even that for finding any "true self". I'm true enough to me. And I don't care for physical exercises or other actions/activities in religion/philosophy of life.

 

[eudaimonia]

BTW, I would like to mention my supervisor in job, a Mr. Subramanian, a divine person (as Bhagawad Geeta defines it). I had only one problem, this very one, why Krishna asked Arjuna to take up arms. Mr. Subramanian explained to me that action has to be without emotions; anger, lust, greed, pride, attachment (kama, krodha, mad, lobha, moha); and only for 'dharma' (duty/righteous action). I never again faced any problem. He sure put me on the right road.

How would you approach the issue of marriage? Don't people get married due to emotions? How would one get married only on the basis of dharma?


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[eudaimonia]

double post

 

[Aupmanyav]

How would you approach the issue of marriage? Don't people get married due to emotions? How would one get married only on the basis of dharma?

In India and among hindus, marriage is a completely different thing. I generally advice young ones that marriage is 75% duty and 25% fun. Most of the time, the boy or the girl is decided by parents and other relatives. As a concession to modern times, they are allowed to see each other for a short time. There is a tradition that they are not allowed to meet till marriage, that is what happened with me, and happens with most other people. The emotions come only after marriage, when you have spent sometime with each other, perhaps are raising children together, or going through the ups and downs of life together. Most of the time there is no going back, divorce rates in India are very low. A married girl would take care of elders and relatives and later in taking care of children in her new home. We do get time for each other, but not everything can be ascribed to fun or emotions. Small discords are ignored and bigger ones are settled with the help of elders of both families.

 

[Hema]

In India and among hindus, marriage is a completely different thing. I generally advice young ones that marriage is 75% duty and 25% fun. Most of the time, the boy or the girl is decided by parents and other relatives. As a concession to modern times, they are allowed to see each other for a short time. There is a tradition that they are not allowed to meet till marriage, that is what happened with me, and happens with most other people. The emotions come only after marriage, when you have spent sometime with each other, perhaps are raising children together, or going through the ups and downs of life together. Most of the time there is no going back, divorce rates in India are very low. A married girl would take care of elders and relatives and later in taking care of children in her new home. We do get time for each other, but not everything can be ascribed to fun or emotions. Small discords are ignored and bigger ones are settled with the help of elders of both families.

Well, I'm not from India but I've been married two weeks now. My hubby and I know each other for about eight and a half years. Yes it's a lot of responsibility. Duties play a huge part but when these duties are shared, one can have fun all the time. For example, the other day, he was sweeping and I was mopping, I ran over to him so many times to squeeze him! We chitty chat when hanging out the laundry etc. I always have fun when I'm around him no matter what we're doing.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Nice, have more fun.