Patanjali's Righteous Dharma

I’d like to open by sharing the story of Patanjali as told by BKS Iyengar: “It is said that Lord Vishnu was once seated on his couch, Lord Adisesa (the Lord of Serpents) watching the enchanting dance (tandava nrtya)  of Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu was so absorbed in the dance movements that His body began to vibrate to the rhythm of Lord Shiva. This vibration made him heavier and heavier causing a lot of discomfort to Lord Adisesa who was on the point of collapsing, gasping for breath. As soon as the dance came to end, Lord Vishnu's body became light again.

Lord Adisesa was amazed with this sudden transformation and asked his master about the cause of these stupendous changes. The Lord explained that grace, beauty, majesty and grandeur of Lord Shiva had created a corresponding graceful vibration in His own body. Amazed at this, Adisesa professed a desire to learn dancing to inspire his Lord.

Lord Vishnu predicted that soon Lord Shiva would grace Lord Adisesa to write a commentary on grammar and at that time he would also be able to devote himself to perfection in the art of dance (nrtya). Lord Adisesa was overjoyed by these words and looked forward to the grace of Lord Shiva. He then began to meditate to find out who would be his intended mother. While meditating, he had the vision of a female Yoga adept and an ascetic (a yogini and tapasvini), Gonika who was praying for a worthy son to whom she could impart her knowledge and wisdom. He realized that she would be a worthy mother for him and waited for an auspicious moment to become her son.

Gonika, thinking that her earthly life was approaching its end, had searched for a worthy son to whom she could transmit her knowledge. But she had found no one. When her penance (tapas) had come to an end, she looked to the Sun God and prayed to Him to fulfill her desire. She took a handful of water, as a final oblation to Him, closed her eyes and meditated on the Sun. She opened her eyes and looked at her palms as she was about to offer the water. To her surprise, she saw a tiny snake moving in her palms who soon took on a human form. This tiny male human prostrated to yogini Gonika and asked her to accept him as her son. Hence, she named him Patanjali. (Pata means fallen or falling and Anjali means palms folded in prayer).

This is how Sage Patanjali is said to have come into this mortal world.” 1

Patanjali is thought to go on to write the yoga sutras which is a foundational text in yoga today.  This text only contains a few verses that are about the physical practice of yoga. It mainly concerns itself with the lifestyle and philosophy of yoga. Patanjali’s story shares a few qualities with the story of Jesus and Isaac (in Genesis).  He descended to a human form to a mother thought to be too old for children.  His father is not mentioned here, but in descending to earth it is clear he did not come in the traditional way. The Yoga sutras put together much of the philosophy of yoga that is in separate texts.  I am honestly not sure which came first.

In addition to the similarities between Biblical figures and Patanjali there is also the use of the word righteous(ness) in today’s Biblical reading.  Righteous, as defined by Webster, is “acting in accord with divine or moral law.”  In Paul’s letter to the Romans he talks of righteousness as the thing we turn toward when we turn away from sin.  In both cases we are a slave, either to sin or righteousness.  Turning to the divine or moral law would appear to be the better choice. In Matthew’s gospel we are encouraged to make this better choice to receive the reward of the kingdom of heaven.

In yoga sutras righteousness might be interpreted as Dharma. “The Sanskrit word “dharma” has joined “yoga” and “karma” in common English usage. Dharma is often taken to mean “duty.” However, it is a whole lot more than this. The Sanskrit word Dharma comes from the root “dhri” which means to uplift or uphold. Dharma literally refers to “that which upholds righteousness.” A sense of righteousness, of purpose and inspiration is extremely significant on the spiritual path.” 2

Dharma is implied throughout the yoga sutras of Patanjali. When he talks of the ethics of yoga in the yamas and niyamas (10 commandments of yoga) and in the gunas (energy states) Dharma is there. In Yoga Sutra IV.34 dharma is referenced within the Purusartha or the “fourfold aims of man; discharging one’s duties and obligations to oneself, one’s family, society, and country (dharma); pursuit of vocation or profession, following one’s means of livelihood and acquisition of wealth (artha); cultured and artistic pursuits, love, and gratification of desires (kama); emancipation or liberation from worldly life (moksa).”1  Part of the idea of the dharma wheel, a symbol in Indian religions, refers to the cyclical nature of life.  As stated in the Purusartha, and in Paul’s letter, life is not all righteous, but the hope is that each turn of the wheel brings us closer to righteous liberation and further from sin.

 

Genesis 22:1-14

God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your

son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a

burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” So Abraham rose early in the

morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut

the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had

shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said

to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship,

and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on

his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.

Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire

and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God himself

will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the

wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then

Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to

him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay

your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not

withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a

thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead

of his son. So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the

mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

 

Romans 6:12-23

Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No

longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as

those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments

of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under

grace.

What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you

not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one

whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the

heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from

sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural

limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and

greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you

then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But

now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is

sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is

eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Matthew 10:40-42

Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one

who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's

reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive

the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones

in the name of a disciple-- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

 

1 BKS Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

2 https://alchemyofyoga.com/what-is-dharma/

Photo: Prismatic Dharma Wheel Public Domain
https://publicdomainvectors.org/en/free-clipart/Prismatic-dharma-wheel/60042.html

 

 

The Fire of Change - Tapas

Today’s lessons have a common theme of change running through them. 

In Genesis 21 Abraham is asked to send away his first-born son and to trust the process that would eventually lead to two great nations.  Although distressed, a fire burns in Abraham to do the right thing, to trust the process, and put forward the spiritual effort necessary to bring forth change.

In Matthew 10 Jesus is preparing his disciples for the life they will have should they continue to answer his call.  The picture is not pretty.  He tells them to go forward fearlessly and with self-discipline to heal and tell truths that could end in their death.  But that God loves them beyond all.  This preparation for change ignites a fire in their hearts. This unexpected way in which Jesus lights a fire under the disciples is like the Niyama (observance) of Tapas.

According to Deborah Adele “Tapas literally means “heat” and can be translated as catharsis, austerities, self-discipline, spiritual effort, change, tolerance, or transformation. Tapas has the sense of “cooking” ourselves in the fire of discipline to transform ourselves into something else. It is our determined effort to become someone of character and strength. Much like cooking and egg denatures the egg, changing it into a different structure, Tapas eventually changes our nature, turning us into a cauldron that can withstand any of life’s challenges. Tapas is the day to day choice to burn non-supportive habits of the body and mind, choosing to forsake momentary pleasures for future rewards.” *

Often change in our lives happens after an awakening.  Some might even go so far as to say a fire was lit under them to change. This fire is tapas. Keeping it going requires self-discipline, this too is tapas.  None of this is easy.  But having the self-discipline, putting in the spiritual effort, finding that thing that makes you feel a fire in your heart, acting on it, keeping it up, transforming. Again, and again, and again. This is the real work of tapas.  This is the real work of the disciples, even to the end.

We can learn from their example.  Taking care of our selves physically and mentally. Finding our own fire or calling. Having the discipline to do or change. And keeping that fire, or tapas, lit in our hearts.

Genesis 21:8-21

The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was

weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing

with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son

of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” The matter was very distressing to

Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the

boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is

through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make

a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, and

took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the

child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went

and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not

let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and

wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and

said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy

where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation

of him.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with

water, and gave the boy a drink.

God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the

bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of

Egypt.

 

Matthew 10:24-39

Jesus said to the twelve disciples, “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master;

it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called

the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret

that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear

whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the

soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a

penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of

your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my

Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in

heaven.

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a

sword.

For I have come to set a man against his father,

and a daughter against her mother,

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or

daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow

me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my

sake will find it.”

*The Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele (c) 2009

Photo from www.awakeningself.com

Karma vs Karma Yoga as Explained by Matthew

Often when teaching the first class of an introduction to yoga series I share the following with them:

“The Six Branches of Yoga

The word "yoga" means "unity" or "yoke" indicating that the purpose of yoga is to unite ourselves with our highest nature as defined through all six branches:

1 The branch of knowledge, wisdom, introspection, and contemplation (Jnana Yoga) is the study of classical texts

2 The branch of service or action (Karma Yoga) often referred to as selfless service

3 The branch of devotion to God or a higher power (Bhakti Yoga) is driven by divine love and involves our personal relationship with God.

4 The ritual branch (Tantra Yoga) is a combination of practices and ideas that views the universe as the physical manifestation of pure consciousness—that which connects us all

5 The royal branch, or classical yoga (Raja Yoga) involves the eightfold path, The eight limbs are:

1.Five moral restraints that involve our interactions with others: non-violence, truthfulness, moderation, non-stealing, non-covetousness (Yamas).

2.Five ethical observances that involve our personal practices: purity, contentment, austerity, study of sacred texts, and awareness of our divine nature (Niyamas).

3.Physical postures (Asanas).

4.Breath control (Pranayama).

5.Withdrawal of the senses in order to still the mind (Pratyahara).

6.Concentration (Dharana).

7.Meditation (Dhyana).

8.The highest state of consciousness (Samadhi).

6 The physical and mental branch (Hatha Yoga) involves physical postures and breath—that which we are most familiar with in yoga class. <<<<<<what we practice in the west.  Incomplete!!

You may or may not choose to incorporate any of the six branches into your life, you may already do so. We will focus on the physical and mental aspects of yoga with a little bit of meditation. We will not be focusing on the spiritual aspects unless 100% of the class wants to do so. I personally consider a Christian life or a walk in the woods to be the practice of yoga.  This information is only provided to offer clarity into the true meaning of yoga.” Yoga 1 Week 1

As I read this week’s Gospel of Matthew I was struck by the concept of Karma Yoga that is so present. “You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff”  This is the way in which Karma Yoga was meant to be interpreted: as selfless service or action.  When teaching yoga there is often talk of an energy exchange between the teacher and the student, usually this comes in the form of payment for the class.  But in the case of karma yoga no such exchange happens.  The teacher gives, or donates, their times as an act of service without an expectation of payment. Without expectation of some advance in life on the bad things they may have done or will do.  No expectation at all, just teaching for the love of it and the desire to serve.  Any form of volunteerism is karma yoga.

However, this is not the way Karma is interpreted in our culture. Perhaps because the word Yoga is removed. Yoga does bring us in union with others and the world, binding us together for good.  It is not uncommon to blame some one’s bad luck on karma, especially if they were known to do bad things. Karma without Yoga may look at the sum of a person’s deeds.  I think of this as a negative use of the word karma and I don’t like it. Perhaps it started with John Lennon’s Instant Karma…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5kKfFsSxS4

Karma Yoga is completely about accepting with love an imbalance and embracing it as good, not retribution.  We hear some of this retribution thought in the second part of Matthew’s gospel “As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”  Now I’m not saying that we should stay in places we are not welcome, I am simply saying this is not what karma truly means to me. At least it is not what karma yoga means to me.  Maybe it wasn’t John Lennon who began this confusion but this passage from Matthew taken as a complete piece rather than as two parts. 

Shine On! Namaste

Gospel - Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good

news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he

had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the

Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast

them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles:

first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother

John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and

Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and

enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go,

proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead,

cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. [Take

no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a

staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is

worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let

your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not

welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or

town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of

judgment than for that town.

“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent

as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues;

and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the

Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to

say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the

Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his

child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all

because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you

in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of

Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

 

http://www.theyogasanctuary.biz/

http://www.yogajournal.com/article/beginners/the-branches-of-yoga/  

http://www.swamij.com/

Photo Credit: http://swamivenkatesananda.org