Dharma Studies

Explaining the premodern Indian conception of mind to Westerners poses an interesting problem. Western popular culture tends to posit two primary centers of our being other than the body: the mind (locus of thoughts) and the heart (locus of feelings). This is in complete opposition to the Indian model, whereby ‘mind’ and ‘heart’ both translate the same Sanskrit word (chitta), for as every good psychologist knows, thoughts and feelings are inextricably linked–indeed, they exist on a continuum.

As the gunas churn together, the manifest world of Prakriti evolves out of the primordial matrix. From the subtlest aspects of the mind – the intellect, the ego, and the lower mind – to the grossest aspects of human existence – the senses and their objects and the great elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether.

The function of memory has been analyzed by both contemporary psychology and in the literature of classical yoga, with some interesting convergences and equally interesting divergences. Here we will examine the purpose of remembering from both the contemporary psychological perspective and the perspective of classical yoga, as exemplified by Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras.

Sutra is a Sanskrit word meaning “string” or “thread” and refers to an aphoristic style of writing found in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jainist texts of the Ancient and Medieval period. Literacy at this time was virtually nonexistent and printing technology barely inchoate. These ancient practitioners thus took great pains to string each Sanskrit character onto proto-paper made from the leaves of the tala tree. These leaves were then strung together with a thread.

The field of the mind is endlessly fascinating to those interested in mastery and transcendence. So much affects us – from the external forces of the universe to the internal forces of our thoughts. The practitioner whose goal is to gain control over the mind must contend with both facets.

There are Five Samskaras of a Yogi: five ways to engage the practice based on our past karmas and mental impressions. Each of these brings with it a particular desired outcome, which informs the appropriate practice. For example, am I yoking or unyoking? Am I finding God as an aspect of myself, or am I in relationship to God as separate from myself? Is this my duty or my desire? As a result, each type of yogi will endorse or focus on particular aspects of the primary philosophical texts du jour, the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita.

Delving into the ancient yogic texts requires having a strong sense of imagination and a splash—if not more—of suspended disbelief.  More than mere philosophy, these texts introduce the reader to a symbolic work in which hangs the delicate veil that separates reality from myth. In fact, many ancient yogic texts and their study depend on the very question of the existence of reality.

The word “enlightenment” is a translation of the German aufklärung, literally “up-clearing.”  For scholars, these words (both German and English) are effectively synonymous with the 18th Century, the “Age of Reason.” The metaphor of clarification or aufklärung was used by intellectuals of that time to describe their own project, of clearing away superstition to make room for scientific liberal democracy.