I'll see if I can get a comments area going here but if you meanwhile have any comments on all this please do not hesitate to contact me directly at:
At www.the-brights.net
a naturalistic stance is held
on the whys and whereofs of our lives - and the meaning of it all.
I now and then, as time permits, do a bit 'a posting on their discussion forums
under the alias 'Albatross'.
I do not hold to anyones agenda and do not endeavour
to presume
upon anyone an agenda of mine. The ideas presented here, in these pages,
in no way represent any general views held by participators at The Brights'
forums,
although from my side I hold an affinity for some of their views. / Albatross
One of my cats - Tinker
Just relaxing. He thinks to eat the Albatross.
At times we dream impossible dreams.
See page:
"Heaven and Earth,
for a song holding unto a naturalistic vision of life.
Written
14 January 2006 - by me, Juri Aidas
/ Albatross.
Here's the song,
in RealAudio.
You'll also find
the notation and lyrics for abovementioned song there.
All presentations copyright © Juri Aidas
2006
Sun / Moon logo
copyright © Nina Aidas
Bird logo copyright © Magnus Malmsten
Page
started 26 January 2006 - by Juri
Aidas.
Page edited: 7 August 2006.
Counter
started 13 March 2006
dancing
with the stars
Counter
The Tree of Life
&
The Epistemology of the Recursive Evolutionary Algorithm
Epistemology - Theory of the method or grounds of knowledge.
A
NEW PERSPECTIVE
– RIGHT SIDE UP, the TURNING of THE “TREE OF YOGA” –
THERE
IS A VEDIC HYMN that talks about a great tree having its roots in heaven
and it’s immense branches reaching to the ground (Rig Veda X.XX
[to be inserted here]), and it is all very poetical, beautiful and
enticing. This perspective offers a metaphor of an inside view of a deep
philosophical idea, ‘the inner root of life being as a heaven and
the branches reaching all the way to Earth, the outer world’.
A modern take of the Vedic one would, of course, come
decked with roses.
“My dreams are made of iron and steel
With a big bouquet of roses hanging down
From the heavens to the ground.”
‘Never Say Goodbye’, Bob Dylan
Very Good. But if the Vedic Tree would now also reveal
the mysterious reason and mechanism of its growth? For the basic algorithms
of its dynamic to be clearly delineated and understood we need to have access
to a sharp, rich, and useful metaphor on this somewhat archetypical, almost
perplexing, mythical idea of an immense, immaculate, philosophically relevant
concept of creative insight, full of song, the blooming, ever-growing, health-generating,
sensible and abundant 'self' of a ‘Tree
of Life’.
A NEW PERSPECTIVE
Expanding upon the general metaphor of a Tree with a strange little twist
can handle the confusions we just met and will give rise to the idea of
“The Tree of Life”.
This metaphor is based on inherent sensibility and empirical verifiability
brightening up insight and understanding with both the strong explanatory
power the idea carries stemming from its practical applicability. The ‘Tree
of Life’ of The Veda is still a’growing.
I present a metaphor describing and defining the interrelated dynamics of
the aspects of Yoga, enabling us to clearly see both theory and method,
and I will outline a mechanism to test the theory. For this I will be using
the metaphor of a Tree, modeling it into a ‘Tree
of Life’ (see schema above), anchored, rooted and
crowned, allowing us quite a birds eye view of the ‘Tree
of Yoga’ (including its roots in that 'heaven').
I will here turn the ‘Tree
of Yoga’, the metaphor, right side up (in sharp
contrast to the Vedic one just mentioned), so that I won’t have to
be standing on my head in presenting this ‘tool for thinking’
about Yoga. Look! The standard caricature of a Yogi standing topsy-turvy
on his/her head can be seen everywhere and is caused and upheld by the heavy
identification, in the general apprehension of this field, of the whole
of the philosophy of Yoga with physical posturing, the Yoga-asanas,
whose main goal lies in keeping the body in tune and to facilitate the managing
of the subtle aspects of Yoga (thus being something very good in itself,
yet still only being a part of the whole of the philosophy of Yoga). Identifying
the Tree of Yoga with our body is quite an easy thing to do and this mask
to understanding becomes a very restrictive guide to the offer of a structure
of understanding of the inner spark of creation as such, and that, in the
alternate view i present, in the handling of this ‘new’ meatphor,
“The Tree of Life”,
the dynamics of ones own being in totality are actually seen, perceived.
Why restrict ourselves. We must look at the vision of
Yoga, the Yoga-Daršana, as a whole, or the parts take over
the show. The other seven elements of this Asthanga Yoga (see more below)
compel us to take their interrelationships into consideration. The turning
of this Vedic tree right side up, turning, tumbling the whole frame, so
to say, produces a clearer grasp of this metaphor “The
Tree of Life”. The former ‘Tree
of Yoga’; (whether we look upon it as a ladder or
a grand piano, or as just a wonderful and beautiful tree with two birds
perching in its uppermost brances [see the presentation called 'Implications']),
this ‘Tree of Yoga’
now becomes “The Tree of Life”.
From the perspectives here, quite simply introduced and only somewhat considered, I derive (in following discussions) a viable, 'strong' theory of Yoga, in terms consistent both with the blooming of the seeds of our modern Darwinian ‘Theory of Evolution’ (by now algorithmic [and much more on this in the presentation on 'Evolution']) and consistent with all the personal, subjective yet meaningful understanding of the same that the Darhana of Yoga has to offer from an inner point of view.
Note:
The
concept of
'brahmacharya'
is here taken as 'restraint'.
The categories and subcategories here all refer to the process of Yoga as such and are not to be ideologically transferred to any other domain, they will rather become infused into life and living depending on application and circumstance.
The
concept of
'Ishvara'
I have reflected upon as 'sense of wonder'.
ASTHANGA
YOGA, OR KRIYA YOGA, OR RAJA YOGA, (OR WHATEVER YOGA)
– THE EIGHTFOLD YOGA –
Although many schools of Yoga exists there is hardly any controversy over assigning descriptions of the general structure of the philosophy of Yoga eight aspects. These were organized by Patanjali, in the Yoga-Sûtra, 2.29, who, in looking at these eight aspect of Yoga chose to list them:
yama, niyama, âsana, pranayama, pratyahara,
dharana, dhyana and samâdhi.
These are the eight aspects of Yoga, The eight-fold Yoga, Asthanga-Yoga,
(astha meaning eight). By metaphor these are often spoken of as
the eight limbs of Yoga, the Asthavangani. They are the basic constitutive
elements of the Yoga-Daršana, The Philosophy of Yoga, (daršana
meaning vision), along with the ideas of unmanifest and manifest, purusha
and prakriti, as mentioned. These are central to my metaphor of ‘The
Tree of Life’. As it is this relationship I aim to unravel in naturalistic
terms. These are controversial concepts within the fields of modern science
where they recur under other disguise as absolutes of infinities or nothingnesses,
and all of these of diverse kinds. I will discuss this in other pages. Here
let's look at some different translations into English of the central concepts
of this philosophy at hand.
In the diagrams above the structural relationships of these aspects are
shown graphically.
For now I will just list, in the same order as of Patanjali, their approximate
English equivalents as interpreted by:
Alistair Shearer:
The Laws of Life, The Rules for Living, Posture, Breathing exercises,
Retirement
of the Senses, Focusing of Attention, Meditation and The Settled Mind
("Effortless
Being
– The
Yoga-Sûtras of Patanjali", 1982, p. XX.)
(New
Edition "The
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali",
2002,
p. 107.)
Georg Feuerstein:
Restraint, Observance, Posture, Breath-control, Sense-withdraval,
Concentration, Meditative absorption and Enstasy
('The Yoga-Sûtra of Patanjali – A New Translation
and Commentary’, 1979B, p. 80)
Enstasy is a construct from ‘Enhanced Ecstasy’
(Feurstein yyyy, p. xx).
Swami Hariharânanda Aranya:
Restraint, Observance, Posture, Regulation of breath, Withholding
of senses, Fixity, Meditation and Perfect Concentration
('Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali’, 1963, p. 232)
James Haughton Woods:
Abstentions, observances, postures, regulations-of-the-breath,
withdrawal-of-the-senses, fixed-attention, contemplation and concentration.
('THE YOGA-SYSTEM
OF PATANJALI - Or the Ancient Hindu Doctrine of Concentration
of Mind', 1927)
Barbara Stoler Miller:
Moral Principles, Observances, Posture, Breath control, Withdrawal
of the Senses, Concentration, Meditation and Pure Contemplation
("Yoga:
Discipline of Freedom – The Yoga Sutra Attributed to Patanjali",
1995, p. 52)
Chip Hartranft:
External Discipline, Internal Discipline, Posture, Breath Regulation,
Withdrawal of the Senses, Concentration, Meditative absorption and Integration
(‘The Yoga-Sûtra of Patanjali – A New Translation
with Commentary’, 2003, p. 30)
Trevor
Lerggett:
Restraints, Observances, Posture, Restraint of Vital Currents, Dissociation,
Concentration, Meditation and Samâdhi
(’Šankara on the Yoga-Sutras’, Volume 2,
1983, p. 110)
P. Y. Deshpande:
yama, niyama, âsana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana
and samâdhi.
(’The Authentic Yoga – Patanjali’s Yoga
Sutras’ 1979B, p. 98)
P.Y. Deshpande strangely enough doesn’t translate the concepts but
his discourse on the Yoga Sutra is immensly perceptive.
I.K. Taimini:
Self-Restraints, Fixed Observances, Posture, Regulation of breath,
Abstraction, Concentration, Contemplation and Trance
(Swâmi Hariharânanda Âranya, ‘Yoga
Philosophy of Patanjali’, 1963, p. 232)
Swami Vivekananda:
yama, niyama, âsana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana
and samâdhi.
(‘Raja-Yoga – or Conquering the Internal Nature',
17 Impr. 1978)
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:
Observance, Rules of Life, Posture, Breathing exercises, Retirement
of the Senses, Steadiness of Mind, Meditation and The State of Transcendental
Consciousness
(‘The Bhagavad-Gita – A New Translation and Commentary',
1967, p. XX)
In view of philosophical implications of divergence, due to the many semantic
differences and nuances, used by the translators above, stemming from the
empirical side of this philosophy, from its different methods, from its
traditions, yet there's still room to find it possible to elaborate around
these concepts, expressed in the the finding of so many approaches to the
translation of these main eight aspects of Yoga that have been presented.
Thus we may construe a multifold, an overarching reference of the diverse
stances that all the different translations fuel, a multifold to take interpretations
held by the learned Sanskritists presented in a wholeneness of comprehension
- Thus I do not hesitate to have a go at this game myself. So here goes:
In my parlance the idiomatic characterizations of these eight aspects of Yoga become:
Ethics,
Morals, Posture, The Breathing, Withdrawal (as
in a seeming Retraction of the Senses - as
of a Turtle retracting its limbs into its shell),
Focusing, Meditation and Dynamic Bliss.
(‘The Tree of Life – New Light on the philosophy
of Yoga', 2005, p. XX).
There are really many English words that can be used in describing these
aspects of Yoga. Depending on the perspective and approach used for discussing
these, we begin to see a great span of inner meaning collect around these
words and we actually develop a sense of familiarity with these concepts
of Vedic philosophy as expressed in Sanskrit, allowing us to appreciate
the exactness of thinking which from subtle beginnings grew great philosophies
and also produced much beauty in this its still sung language, still rusing
forth as from the great Saraswati River (dried out since ca. 1700 BC) -
but the remembrance of rippling swells, fragrant breezes, enhancemant, beauty,
timeless dream and wondrous song does yet remain .
THREE
METAPHORS OF YOGA
– A LADDER, A PIANO &, A GREAT TREE –
THE
EIGHT ASPECTS OF YOGA can be studied by use of the tool of metaphor, but,
discrimination is necessary. In discussing e.g. the metaphor of a great
tree in the representation of a philosophy and theory of Yoga it will here
not be used in the traditional manner, as it would in a discussion of schools
of Yoga.
All the different schools of Yoga can certainly be compared to a Great tree
with trunk, limbs and leafy branches, flowers full of fragrance, an abundance
of fruit, wondrous. It is for the Historian of time and change to define
the interrelationships of all the different schools of Yoga, to give us
perspective. As we conveniently use the metaphor of a tree in keeping track
of geneaologies and different matters of historicity, and as different schools
of Yoga pop up over time doing their thing in different historical epochs
it is quite natural to use the metaphor of a Tree of Yoga for this purpose,
it works remarkably well in context.
This metaphor and a few related ones can be used to study the philosophy
of Yoga in depth.
Now! We have a first metaphor:
the ladder, or stairway, with eight steps. This one is used mostly to give
expression to the continuity of the different steps to be taken both in
the teaching and in the studying of the wholeness of this vision of Yoga,
this Yoga-Daršana. This is an excellent ladder. Difficulties arise
here mainly because of the nature of the list form presentation in itself,
the sequentiality as such, creating the problem. The steps may seem to be
far apart, and the ladder quite informidable to ascend. But yet, it can
be approached from either end.
From the second metaphor,
that of an object with limbs, a table, a piano we get all the starting points
we’d want. Yoga can be approached from any one aspect, yet the whole
structure is some-what loose, drifting free. Where to? Whither? What goes
where? – and so on. Yet buried within this model we find a deeper
sense of individuality, of freedom – of movement. This second view
of Yoga has deep philosophical implications for our appreciation of the
sense of ‘being’.
Moving on now to the third metaphor,
that of a tree: A Tree of Yoga.
(I say ‘Tree of Yoga’
here and am not using the concept of “The
Tree of Life” as of yet). This metaphor of root, trunk,
limbs and branches applied to Yoga may also confuse as it very much tied
up with the historical process and bound in tradition – and using
it for another purpose, that of making the philosophy of Yoga, the vision,
the Yoga-Daršana distinct, may just add to the general bedlam
of confusion regarding the philosophy of Yoga (not the least being the almost
exclusive use of the word Yoga for merely the fourth aspect of this teaching,
asâna, all Yoga pertaining to the body.
The
texts below are yet subject to revision and this whole site is gradually under
construction. On some setups this site's a mess,
on some it's a OK. Do let me know if you encounter any problems viewing these
presentations.
And, by the way, I use a browser called 'Opera'
that can resize the pictures as they are opened up allowing for easy perviewing.
This site has been constructed on a 17 inch screen using a resolution of 1024
x 768 pixels. / Albatross
For an expanded discussion see the page with my commentary on these 'Eight Aspects of Yoga'.
This here is a first presentation of ideas I have worked with all my life, that lately have crystallized into coherence with an idea I, sort of, perceived, in the field of Yoga a few years ago. It seems to me sensible to take a few more things into account than has been attempted before, particularly the naturalistic point of view. I have never before seen a clear account for this stance on the philosophy of Yoga, and thus I offer it a metaphor "The Tree of Life". Used the way I do here, in the deriving of an expansion of views from it, I find a yield of relevance, and I hope the ponderings that are to follow are sensible enough to spark some, or even much bright light upon the mires of confusion surrounding the popular conceptions of what Yoga actually is.
I've
read the literature, and I've also, beside the traditional texts, familiarized
myself with modern presentations. The terminological confusions are terrible,
all over the field. I've tried to sort this up (in an epistemological fashion,
so to say) and should thus hope that any eventual insight, or insights, contained
herein, will maybe, even if but only accidentally obtained, afford to add
a fresh and clear understanding of the subject at hand, Yoga, and its "Recursive
Evolutionary Algorithm". Here's a bit 'a new light on
the philosophy of Yoga.
As this foremost be a presentation of a naturalistic vision engaging
theoretically from the field of Yoga and basing itself firmly upon inner relevance
and upon it's complement, the modern sciences, and as this be a work independent
of anyones agenda, except as of many existential demands and confusions, it
thus allows itself to ruthlessly base its conclusions upon the works and shoulders
of giants, from Vedic poets, via Patanjali to all the modern exponents of
the various branches of the Philosophy of Yoga, and as this work also, in
this same naturalistic sense of mine, ruthlessly be based upon what modern
contributors to the understanding of life have wrought (from the inventions
of Brahmagupta [the zero concept, A.D. 628], via deep consideration by philosophers
and scientists of all aeons, to modern luminaries such as Galileo, Newton
and the rest, to Einstein and beyond), thus - the use I make herein of
the ideas of others, the way I present the works of others in these tableux
of mine, in the settings I herein propose, all conclusions I reach, all the
straight paths and all the meandering roundabout snake's-hands' ways of all
the thinkings here presented are a product solely of my own construct and
making (or as else stated), and no shadow of doubt should therefore fall on
the deep and learned works of the particular referents I appertain to within
the formats of these my hariolations, no veil of doubt is to be cast on the
works of others on account of any errors, unaligned spandrels, wrenches, or
other misconstructs I accidentally may have introduced into the whole works.
The responibility for any confusion that might arise out of these presentations, for whatever lack, is mine alone - yet I learn, and strive to amend whatever bewilderment of complexity, whatever fault of overflow, whatever word wrongly wrought and set that'd perplex or mystify the reader. I do, though, hold that the overall metaphor "The Tree of Life" has had its applicability experientially well verified by many, in many settings, maybe at times in but a phenomenological sense, as seen from the point of view of the individual, so to say, but nowadays there are modern tools to further and guide our thinkings in abstract matters however deep and unfathomable they at first glance may seem.
Juri Aidas / Albatross - 7 August 2006
THE
EIGHT ASPECTS OF YOGA
Ethics,
Morals,
Posture, The Breathing,
Withdrawal, Focusing, Meditation
and Dynamic Bliss.
(Juri Aidas: ‘The
Tree of Life
– New Light on the Philosophy of Yoga', 2005, p. XX).
(These
schemata are still subject to the occasional revision now and then.
Clicking the pictures opens up an 1000 x 1415 pixel jpg, respectively of these,
suitable for a screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. / Albatross)
top |
Intro | |
| Heaven
and Earth (A Song) |
||
| "Up
North" (A painting) |
||
 |
Yoga Stuff | |
| "The
Tree of Life" |
||
| Epistemology of the Recursive Evolutionary Algorithm |
||
|
The Eight Aspects of Yoga |
||
| A
discussion on The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali |
||
| More on Yoga generally | ||
| A Mandala | ||
| Creation | ||
|
Bridge | |
| "Vortex" (A Painting) |
||
| "All
the World's a Joy" (A Song) |
||
|
Abstracts | |
| Timeline
of Emergence |
||
| Cosmology | ||
| Ontology | ||
| Cosmogony | ||
| Infinity | ||
| The
Null Concept |
||
| The
Game of Life |
||
| A
Turing Machine |
||
| The
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation |
||
| Evolution | ||
| Quantum
Uncertainty |
||
| The
Logic of Inconsistency |
||
| Consciousness States |
||
| Single
Cell Consciousness |
||
| Cognitive
Science |
||
| The Hard Problem | ||
| Hetero-phenomenology | ||
| The
Multiple Drafts Theory of Consciousness |
||
|
Roots | |
| Indirect Reciprocity | ||
| A Retrospect on Phenomenology | ||
| Ancient
Philosophies |
||
| Of Memes | ||
| Of the Heart | ||
| On Truth & God | ||
| The Veda | ||
| Of
Poets & Poetry |
||
|
Songs | |
| "Heaven
and Earth" |
||
| "All
the World's a Joy" |
||
| "Love's Not For Hire" | ||
| "My
Heart Is Not A Secret" |
||
| "Little
Dream" For Nina |
||
| "Storyville" | ||
| "True Love" | ||
|
Paintings | |
| "Bright Light" | ||
| "Up North" | ||
| "Vortex" | ||
| "Mediterranean View" | ||
| "Signals" | ||
| "Nightwatch" | ||
| "Two
Flowers in a Round Field" |
||
| High Plateáu | ||
|
Diversions | |
| A bit on Books | ||
| The
Meaning of Life |
||
| A
Paean on Naturalism |
||
|
Games | |
| "Ganesh" | ||
| "Henhouse" | ||
| "Portals" | ||
| "Ariel" | ||
|
and | |
| The
Story of An Another Albatross (Long Distance Navigator) |
||
|
Coda | |
| References | ||
| A Glossary of Strange Terms | ||
| A few Links | ||
| Site Map |
Site
Map
Yoga Stuff
Abstracts
Roots
Songs
Paintings
Diversions
Games
Reference
Sections:
Back
to:
My page with the song 'Heaven
and Earth' presenting a naturalistic vision based on themes discussed
in these presentations.
To:
A beautiful Mandala.
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