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Series on Yoga- The Science of Being:
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&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
What is This Thing Called Yoga?=
In this issue we are going =
to
look at how Patanjali defines Yoga.
There are many prevalent definitions of Yoga. Some say that yo=
ga
is the meeting of the mind with the whole, others say it is dropping =
of
the ego plus many more other definitions. But Patanjatli's definition=
is
the most scientific. In the second sentence of the Yoga Sutra, he say=
s
"Yoga is the cessation=
of
mind".
Yoga is a state of "no-mind". The word mind covers al=
l-
your egos, your hopes, your desires, your religion, your philosophies,
your scriptures. Whatever you can think is mind. All that is known, a=
ll
that can be known is within mind. Cessation of mind is the cessation =
of
the known and the cessation of knowable. It is a jump into the
unknown and unknowable.
So the question comes, what=
do
you exactly mean by "mind"?
Let me tell you a story. Bodhidharma, who brought Buddhis=
m to
China was asked by then the Chinese emperor a very profound
question. He said, "Oh great sage! my mind is very disturb=
ed.
I have been waiting for you for a long time. Tell me what should I do=
to
put my mind at peace.?"
Bodhidharma said, "Oh king! Don't worry. Come early in the
morning alone. And yes, don't forget to bring your mind with
you."
King went home but could not stop thinking what it means "to bri=
ng
my mind with me". He could barely sleep all night. In
morning he arrived and saw Bodhidharma sitting alone with his big
staff. He asked the emperor loudly, "so you have come.&nbs=
p;
Did you bring your mind with you?"
The emperor was bit annoyed by now. He said, " you talk cr=
azy.My
mind is not something I can forget somewhere. It is in me."=
;
Bodhidharma said, " Ok. Then close your eyes and find out where =
it
is within you and I will put it at peace."The emperor closed his
eyes and he looked and looked. The more he looked, more he real=
ized
that there is nothing as mind. The moment he realized that mind is not
some thing that one=
can
pinpoint, the absurdity of his quest was exposed to him. If min=
d is
not some thing, then nothing can be done about it. The mind is =
only
an activity like walking. If you don't want that activity, just
stop doing it.The emperor opened his eyes and said that there is no m=
ind
to be found. Bodhidharma smiled and said, 'Then I have put it at
peace. So whenever you feel that you are uneasy, just look with=
in,
where uneasiness is."
So Patanjali's definition of Yoga: When there is no mind, you are in yoga, when there is mind, you
are not in yoga. So you may do all the
postures, all the pranayamas, but if the mind goes on functioning and=
you
go on thinking, you are not in yoga.
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