“The truth which claims to be universal requires to be continually re-created. It cannot be something already possessed that only needs to be re-transmitted. In every generation, it has to be renewed. Otherwise it tends to become dogma which soothes us and induces complacency but does not encourage the supreme personal adventure. Tradition should be a principle not of conservatism but of growth and regeneration. We cannot keep the rays of the sun while we put out the sun itself. Petrified tradition is a disease from which societies seldom recover. By the free use of reason and experience we appropriate truth and keep tradition in a continuous process of evolution. If it is to have a hold on people’s minds, it must recon with the vast reorientation of thought that has taken place.”

Sarvepelli Radhakrishnan,"The Brahma Sutra - The Philosophy of Spiritual Life", 1960,
Georg Allen & Unwin Ltd., second impr. 1971, p. 8.

    Ethics, yamas, are the most basic, perceivable constituents of "The Tree of Life", they comprise the first branch of this metaphor, "The Tree of Life" (the overarching umbrella for this discourse). In that schemata we find them right above the subtly hidden (but visible to metaphor) root of dynamic bliss, samadhi, stretching all its nerve-like way from unseen, puruhic, root to outmost, prakritic, brilliant crown of recursivity found in meditative process, dhyana, and connecting to the world via the physical body, thus presenting a means, method, and understanding of the whys and whereofs of possibilitie for us to tap into the dynamics of the subjective energies. It is as if a nerve of abstract sentience divergently reaches out into the world, almost running in tandem with it and being mediated by the bodily interface. In this linkage the abstract as such is referenced to the world by the very same evolutionary algorithmic processes present in memetic development as in genetic[1]. This schema is therefore itself as abstract as a metaphor of the abstract as abstractness goes, a generator of perplexitie, supremely paradoxical, it is an inventing of multiplicity from singularity (greatly voiding the nihilistic non-existant), and it is a directing of all resulting free-floating rationales of dynamic back to the very same source they ever and ever blossom from unhindered. With this metaphor I attempt to close the subtly modulating abstract loop of conceptual chaos sprung from intrinsic contradiction, but a logic of inconsistency (seriously)[2] can be applied to bring closure, to bring it all back home. "Creation is an act of violence that infringes upon the uncreate"[3], it creates its own paradox. In the mythical expressions expounded by the Vedic philosophy of ore, laying the groundwork for our modern appreciations, we hear Rudra, the Wild God speak, "I am not a puzzled-out book, I am a god with his contradictions."[4]. Contradictions, polarities, operate on all levels of ambience, radiating from their center. But we must disregard ambiguity a while. In the structured, connective dynamics revealed by the bridging of this abstract span, by metaphor, which we may grasp (both span and bridge) by rational, thought through and no-nonsensical intellectation, and by application of the recursive evolutionary algorithm, that in itself is revealed more fully by further yogic discernment of processes embedded within this great virtual span, so to say. In the interplay of the dynamics of the eight basic fields of Yoga, defined by æons of subtle memetic structuring, the relevance of the approach of yogic methods and conceptualizations steps into a bright light: dynamic bliss, samadhi is perceived to span the whole field of the abstract, a span comprising both subjective and objective manifestation of itself, and meditation, dhyana, acts as a recursive anchor unto that process, for to tune the excesses of the unbrideled creativity of evolutionary Natures outpourings and bring them in line with the relevances of sentience. In this realization we are offered insight, a clear perspective on how Yoga anchors the structure of emergent consciousness in all of nature, abstract as well as concrete, all the way from mind to matter - and even all the way from matter to mind (these being the main parallell themes I explore both graphically and with hariolating hyperbole herein, in these presentations).

    Ethics, yes. The constituents of Yama, our observances, our Ethics (specifically in regard to Yoga), represent the basic Rules of Life – they are our basic ethical guides to life and living. But ethics is a general field of study implying the consideration of ideologies and their cultural validations, in a sense being the question of what is good in life – in Yoga, though, an identity as to means and wants arises and the methods, in the recursive interactions of Yoga give rise to a full perception of the main influences that balance life – and thus our ethics, or observances, the yamas, are what our basic ideals and motives, what our wants and desires spring from, and the processes of yoga help define the parameters neccessary to qualify our understanding as to what action to undertake when confronted by choices. See, Yoga is an empirical subjective science of method, and so as not to fall into the trap of mysticism we have to start from the middle ground, so to say, with just the tools provided us by evolution, what we have at hand. As we have learned to recognize different behaviours among ourselves some have commanded a greater attention for the generally perceived sense of 'good' in contrast with its opposite. Some behaviours are conducive to Yoga others are not, but the important thing here is to separate the approach we take toward a collection of ethical recommendations into two categories: (1) that which pertains to the methods of Yoga, the practices, of both concrete and abstract nature, and (2) that which pertains to all else life confronts us with. Yoga is a philosophy, not an idology, and therefore we have to be very clear on how our observances, the yamas, our ethics, relate to the processes of yogic practice before we attempt to discuss the more worldly sense of ethics in general. What grounds do we act upon? Yoga contributes to that discussion that recognizing that sithin its domain understanding rises, largely from the yogis sense of distinction between inner and outer experience. Thus one wants to establish that distinction and therefore the inner platform has to be clearly percerived for it to be discerned from outer fields impinging and encroaching upon our sense of Self. "Established in Yoga, perform action." says a line from a fine verse of the Bhagavad-Gita (2: 48).

    Patanjali defines Yama in terms of five sub-categories:

Truthfulness,
Non-attachment,
Restraint,
Integrity,
Non-violence.

3. Asana: Pertains to the body. In the yogic sense the balance and sustain of dynamic Posture.      Asana is that which makes the body supple and strong, stable. The result of yoga-asanas, the      exercises, thus provides a heightened possibility, a patform of stability whereupon the mind does      not becomedistracted by the body. In the meditative phase of Yoga, in the performing of dhyâna,      meditation, this balance and freedom from disturbances from the physical structure combined with      strength built up along the spine, does thus enable stability to the back while one rests in the yogic      posture, the asana, making for a free flow, prana, of breath – all the energies of the body become      stabilized and those abilities are thus conducive to the continuation of the experience of deep inner      bliss obtainable by the more abstruse aspects of this asthanga-yoga.

The illustration introducing this page, shows, somewhat modernistically maybe, as the artist conceives of it, the lotus position, wherein the upper side of the soles of ones feet rest on the lap of the opposite leg thus creating a lock on the pelvis, and which, when mastered, allows the spine to hang suspended without any pressure from below by the coordinated muscular energies of our physical structure as a whole (what is important here is that the strength of the back muscles be established, or one tires). Now if one puts ones centre of balance slightly within the triangle of pelvis and kneecaps the built in pillows of our thighs will comfortably, effortlessly, lift our back from the ground and carry it in a natural swung arc. As I talk of this it becomes important to hear, and reflect on the fact that the lotus position, and many of the more demanding positions of asana, the advanced poses, all demand a prior degree of suppleness of the body (you start out with the easy ones), if one is not flexible enough the twistings and turnings required may become dangerous, with the lotus asana the knees are in particular danger (it is possible to hurt the menisk), and when rolling on the floor it is important to remove necklaces and such so as not to end up with ‘em ‘tween the vertebræ, and thus accidentally cause oneself slight or serious damage.

   The whole point of the physical excersises is to prepare the body for the more mental aspects of yogic practice. One could say that there are two approaches to Yoga via the yoga-asanas but only one of them really pertains to Yoga. We have in the science of the body, Hatha-Yoga, a wide spectrum of specific excersises that may be focused upon singularly, that is they can be used to work the body and bring attention to and train specific parts of the physical structure, joints here, tone there, and then strech that, stretch this and so on. It all becomes as a work-out, as any practice designed to strengthen and energize the system does. This is of course a good thing and can be used sensibly to make the body responsive and supple. But here all the energy gathered may create a strong incentive to action, well, well and good, ever involving involving us in more complexities and demands, where is then rest and effortlessness. Now if we do the yoga-asanas in the setting of Asthanga-Yoga, The Eightfold Yoga, we have a progression. On the base of a sense of developed ethics and morals regarding oneself one practices the Eightfold Yoga as a whole, meaning that the progression leads to more and more abstract platforms, even as all the platforms are engaged simultaneously. All we must keep in mind as we start ascending the first branches of "The Tree of Life", as innocently as can, is to avoid excess, sensibility is the key-word regarding yama and niyama: Truthfulness, Non-attachment, Restraint, Integrity and Non-violence for yama and Refinement, Contentment, Simplicity, Purification and that Sense of Wonder for niyama. All these observances regarding life, found on the middle ground of life, so to say, can be overextended into rigidity and focused upon unto the exclusion of everything else and thus the final end result of yoga, the stilling of the cognitive effort into a restful self-sustained alert, still stance (that is not so much a stance of the mind as it is the still centre of its base property, consciousness [probably located in the single neuronal cell], revealed by the application of a recursive evolutionary algorithm – the method of the meditative process as such), would be overlooked.

         See Patanjali, Yoga-Sutra, 1:2,

         "Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence."
                                                                        Yoga-Sûtra, 1:2; Translation by Alistair Schearer

   The extreme position of the lotus asana is of course not necessary for meditation, sitting on a chair is fine too, one only endeavours to not lean ones head, it’s quite ok to lean ones spine, but take care to attempt a somewhat erect position though, so that the diaphragm does not come under pressure and can relax and thus allow our breath to pass in and out unhindered. Resting ones head somewhere allows for dullness to establish itself, we may even fall asleep as this is natural while resting and fatigue is present. Therefore one does not lean ones head at the outset of meditation, dhyâna, but if the fatigue is overwhelming one at first leans the head slightly, the wave might pass, otherwise one lies down and rests. I regard the view of our erect physical structure maintained in deep meditation being aking to the metaphor of a seal balancing a ball on its nose, likewise ones head will stay balanced on top of the spine when the back is strong, the body supple and sensitive and the potential for alertness supported and stimulated by this manœuvre of balancing.

   A few sections back I disscussed the misconceptions that equate the techniques of Yoga with asanas and would again like to point out that Yoga has eight limbs that all allow an entry to Yoga and it does not do the asanas any ultimate good to neglect the other limbs of the Eight-fold Yoga. The aspects work synergistically, co-operatively, in collaboration, drawing upon the progress of one for the furtherance of the others. What is gained by the asana is reaped by the other limbs making the attainment of discriminative vision an easy task, well it does take application and incentive though and thus it is easy to overdo a part, get excellent results in one area of life while the other parts are lacking, easily leading to excess in the achievement in one, thus the sceptre of fanatism looms closer).

   It is not really a matter of hours of practice, but rather of holding to a regular practice of doing things in small steps. give a little time for asanas every day, a 10 minute pass, or even less would be quite enough – complemented with a bit of pranayama, breathing exercises, the 4th, aspect of Yoga, preferably in conjunction with the practice of meditation, dhyana, the 7th aspect, thus a relevant structure of Yogic practice is built. A bit of study won’t hurt either: the active study of ethic principles, moral precepts, taking care of the body and taking care of inner man is what Yoga is about.

   Why not tune up if this be possible?

   Thus we read in Patanjalis Yoga-Sûtra, chapter 1, verse 14:

         The practice of Yoga will be firmly rooted when it is maintained consistently
         and with dedication over a long period.
                                                                        Yoga-Sûtra, 1:14; Translation by Alistair Schearer

   The actual yogic postures that have been invented and developed in the schools of Hatha-Yoga are numerous, and pertain differently to different systems of the body and its nervous system. They should be used on a basis of individual ability, no straining, an individually adjusted program would be the ideal, it should not be difficult to trim the body a little, turn a little, twist a little, nut too much, but just so. Yoga, all of it, has unjustly come to be regarded as strenuous and demanding – but what’s so laborious about massaging the head a little, bending the limbs, turning the torso a bit, rolling some vertebræ on a carpet covered with a soft blanket? It should be a pleasure doing the exercises, and it does become a real pleasure when all the other limbs of Yoga walk in step. The concern of Yoga, its whole approach, is the wholeness of man. That’s why everything counts.

   After having performed a program of asanas, making the body lithe and responsive, it is then quite natural, as just said, to engage a moment with prana-yama, breathing exercises.

4. Prana-Yama: The Breathing. In practice the techniques and exercises designed to develop a      smooth natural flow in the whole round of in-breath and out-breath and the respective pauses of      suspension, an exploration of the dynamic of breath, of its peaks and and valleys and of the silent      mechanisms of sustain in the absence of breath, as in between the in-breath and out-breath and      vice-versa.

On the basis of the primary character of the breathing, breath, prana, we learn, in the theory of Yoga, that there is a link between the autonomous aspect of the nervous system, the somatic self-regulating part and the part that is under the jurisdiction of our conscious will, and that the connection is integrated with prana, breath. In the moment when the in-breath perceptible turns to out-breath we can suddenly perceive, in the stillness of restful alertness, the dynamics of breath made available through the smooth workings of the bodily systems, as prepared for by the techniques of asanas. Through the application of an understanding of the breathing mechanism the body is vitalized. If all other yogic tricks fail there’s still the breathing, it stays with us till the very end. It is always possible to put our attention slightly on the flow of breath, flowing with it. Familiarity with this flow makes it east to draw strength from this natural, given resource at critical times (in the dentists chair, say, or when sleep is a long time coming). Trusting in this natural flow, and having become familiar with its subtleties in the deeper stages of Yoga, it is suddenly possible to understand where the ‘gasp’ comes from when a yawn is initialized (it is hard to yawn [there are techniques to yawn], when stress has got its clutches in us, and try doing it while lolling in water deeper than yourself, when we cannot press down as we strive to float, no earth below, the relaxation that loosens our diafragm and sets off the yawn cannot set in). Singers learn how to breathe so as to not suddenly go out of breath. Breath is basic, it is one with the life process itself.

5. Pratyâhâra: Now here we meet the Tortoise. Pratyâhâra represents the idea of retracting the      senses from external object (in meditation it is helpful to close the eyes, letting our attention rest      somewhere behind the eyebrows). As a Tortoise withdraws its lims at occasion, head extremities      and tail, so does the mind withdraw from the objects of the senses as the yogic process proceeds.

We can understand the sense of pratyâhâra in considering the sense of hearing. It does happen that one becomes so engrossed in reading that one does not hear when one is spoken to, well one does hear but it doesn’t really register, we somehow disregard the noises we hear and do not feel disturbed by them. In reading or some other focused activity this quality of absorption may come into play an helf deepen our facility to concentrate. This is not to imply that the meditative state of pratyâhâra cuts off the critical faculties of our mind. If somebody yells ‘Fire!’ – we hear, we act, we run, save someone if we can. It’s just natural, as the mind, in performing Yoga, gains alertness though simultaneously being at rest: this is the meaning of restful alertness, its dynamic so to say, the creative impulse being always at hand in alertness, its not as if one is otherwhere, one is at home and ready to roar, one is really just engaging in a few moments of innerness, hopefully gaining a fresh, discerning wiev on whatever.

   The last three aspects in this list of eight are more deeply connected than the others. They are discussed by Patanjali in chapter 3 of the Yoga-Sûtra. These three together comprise, as is sometimes said, ‘The Heart of Yoga’. When the Yogi takes the decision to return to activity from the, quiet, inner state characterized by silent awareness at rest, there are two alternatives. 1; Either to just break off the process of closing in on the innermost through the natural process of transcendence, thus allowing the mind to slowly drift back into activity (an abrubt change of a deep state of rest into an active state can in itself cause stress, this being higly unneccessary and unwanted after one has applied oneself to a process to relieve the system of stress, in this mind clears up, becomes coherent). Or. 2; The process of activity can, on the other hand be structured, by using the process of sanyama, ‘perfect discipline’ (as Ms. Miller translates it), thus preparing the system for dynamic action from a stable inner platform. Sanyama is the application three things taken together: firstly, the discernment of ‘Focusing’, the imprint of the process of the transcendence the system is exposed to by, secondly, the application of Dhyâna, ‘Meditation’, causing the mind to return to transcendence as soon as an impulse to activity is started (the focusing, inclusive of the awareness of intention), and thirdly, it draws on the residual, remaining influence of the state of samâdhi as an energizing, vitalizing influence in our being; the closeness to inner ‘Dynamic Bliss’ is like unto that of the risen sun.

top
intro

yama
niyama
asana
pranayama
pratyahara
focusing dhyana
samadhi

6. Dhâranâ: Focusing. When the senses have retracted from their objects, through the application of     dhâranâ, the mind is free to dive into deep essential rest. Dhâranâ is the subtle gate that we can     learn to regulate so as to enable us to perform yoga, helping us to maintain the process consistently     over a longer period of time.

Dhâranâ is often misleadingly called concentration and thus it easily gives rise to the idea of strenuous effort, hard work, arduous application, exhausting difficulty. It is not difficult or complicated to do Yoga. Yoga is based on natural processes, on what happens in the nervous system by natural order, so to say. It is unfortunate that this harsh attitude towards Yoga has sprung up with practitioners, dissuading others who have much to think about in life and who’d do well to develop, and tune the physical and mental structures. It is unfortunate that many good people have come to associate Yoga with excessive ascetism and denial and strife when it is rather the balance of opposites that is enhanced: the ability to interact is augmented by self-sense and sensible ideals. Revealed by Yoga we find a vision of fullness of utter relevance to life to set us on a path of ‘Dharma’, ‘Natural law’, in which Life becomes ultimately meaningful.

   This process of Dhâranâ, of the senses letting go, retraction, can be stimulated by a somewhat detached attitude to people and events in life, but which overdone can lead to alienation in the social interaction with others. We’re all, more or less, dependent on each other, this is the boundary of the essence of humanity, holding out is not an option – in the processes of Yoga dhâranâ comes about naturally. This should become clear to our understanding as the next aspect of Yoga, dhyâna, comes up for consideration.

7. Dhyâna: Meditation. The systematic and gentle process of bringing the mind to a state of restful      alertness by making use of the natural tendency of the mind to be drawn to that which is rewarding      to it. The lure of the ultimate dynamic bliss of samâdhi deep within becomes unresistable to the      diving mind as it engages in a process of transcendence by use of the simple yet rational techniques      of dhyâna. The inner bliss of samâdhi (see below), is felt even from a distance (as we draw close      to it we become aware of the presence of the ocean even before it is in wiev). In this the mind and      the whole physical structure relaxes and allows for alertness and insight to rise and soar, to ascend      in clarity (as a pool grows clearer when its waves subside).

See plate, page "The Tree of Life", for the structure of the epistemology of a method of transcendence offered by the 7th limb of Patanjalis asthanga-yoga. This way of putting things, in general terms, represents what I have been teaching, all these years, as regards dhyâna, meditation. The vocabulary used is standard, though I have brought in a few new specifying terms and modernized others, adding some clarifications of my own. The key point in the schemata I present is the way the mind is channeled away from activity to rest in meditation. It is the slight distraction of a mantra, a word, used on the level of the thinking mind, as a slight thought, which becomes vaguer as the process proceeds, it becomes a veichle for the sense of reality; this channels the mind in a direction of no activity at all, only rest. And this is the crucial point, this is the hinge. Here we find the root of paradox in the contrast of a mantra, creating a state of no activity and also simultaneously stimulating the mind into alertness. Used in the prescribed way (effortlessley, naturally, more in a sense of letting go instead of as in picking something up, yet the mantra is treated as just another thought among others) this distracts the impetus of intentionality carried by mental structures generated by the thinking process. A slight impulse of activity is also engendered by this slight distraction itself, this is what stimulates awareness from falling into dullness, and, as the process continues other thoughts fade away; and as there is no effort applied in using the mantra, and as no inherent meaning is attributed to it, it will fade too leaving the alert mind in a state of no activity whatsoever – “Nothing is supposed to happen”. While resting, we rest. We do not do anything as the process of trancendence takes us in a deep dive to the centre of our inner being. But here the categories break up. The inner field becomes a singularity, parallelling our modern understanding of the singularity of the Big Bang of Creation. In the inner field, as well as in the outer the laws we have come to identify and integrate in our perspectives break down. As the laws of Time and Space become undefined, while, as when looking far into the outer Universe, we find that similarily the subjective rules of our inner being dissappear, the inner unboundedness we popularly conceive might just as well be regarded as an inner singularity - the objective mind, with its trappings of subjective Gordic magnitudes, dives into a field of no definition, dragging the body along to whatever stillness is in its ability to uphold (therefore posture, asana, prepares the body for longer proximities to this ur-state of inner being). To assign the properties of diverse infinities to this state is tricky indeed, and as fact would have it there’s no empirical evidence for subjective states like this. Though subjectively we may treat this state as of infinite nature.See page Cosmology for a graphic rendering of these ideas.

   As silence and inner quietness deepen it becomes easier for the generated wakefulness to remain sustained and thus the process accellerates until a state of no activity at all of the mind is obtained, in concert with, in unity with a maximum of awareness at hand: a state of restful alerteness. (This is represented in the lower left hand square of the Kannellakos/Lucas chart on p. 24.) This is the state of samâdhi, Dynamic Bliss.

8. Samâdhi: Dynamic Bliss. In the Yoga-Sûtra Patanjali recognizes two kinds of samâdhi: with or      without object, samprajnata samâdhi and nirbîja samâdhi. Samâdhi represents the direct      subjective experience of an inner ‘ground state’, so to say, and is endowed with the self-same      qualities of existence, intelligence and bliss (sat, chit, ananda), associated with the concept of the      Absolute.

The philosophy of this concept of samâdhi, ‘Dynamic Bliss’, the inner platform of restfull alertness, provided by the methods of Yoga, was widely discussed a moment ago in the section called ‘The Central Concept’, therefore I will not expand additionally on it here as it is also discussed from many other angles in this text as a whole, and is of fundamental character, in it being closely connected to the concept of Purusha and Prakriti, Unmanifest and Manifest, as mentioned. (See p. 31, ‘The Central Concept’, and also cast another glance at the plate of ‘The Tree of Life’, p. 8; the section on ‘The Great Tree’, p. 57, presents this metaphor in some detail.)