Rahul Wishard“THE intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.” – Albert Einstein
Modern science tries to put reason behind everything and our growing materialistic rationalism has made our vision of life increasingly short-sighted and depleted our faith in humanity.
From a scientific outlook, the world as we know is built fundamentally on energy, energy that plays the dance of fluidity changing into matter and then converting back, giving and taking life and animating the world around us. This energy might be finite or infinite but it is ‘real’ and we are a tiny part of this gigantic process taking place from one end to the other across the Universe; offcourse if the universe and space are to be considered finite entities with a perimeter. The question that follows is who put this complex energy system in place? That’s where religion and philosophy comes into the picture.
Early Hinduism and the Vedas
Dating back to as early as 3000 BC, ancient Indian’s were at the peak of prosperity and had already built advanced civilisations– the Indus Valley and the Saraswati civilisations; now they had much time to spare towards philosophical thought and spiritual development of their people. These ancient Indians who called themselves as the Aryans, compiled the Vedas in Sanskrit and laid the foundation of modern Hinduism. The Vedas today are considered the oldest religious texts ever written, although none of the original text remain but the voices have been passed over generations verbally and can still be heard at some places in India. There are four Vedas in total, the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and the Atharvaveda. All these texts were written to be used by high priests during sacrifice and worship of the earliest of Hindu Gods– Indra, Brahma, Saraswati, Rudra, Agni, Varuna and Soma.
The earliest known surviving copies of any of the Vedas are copies of the Rig Veda and Atharva Veda that are currently held in the Bhandarkar Oriental Institute in Pune, Maharashtra, India. They are dated to around 1300 AD, roughly 2,500 years or so after the earliest Vedas are most often thought to have been composed. Max Müller referred to these manuscripts when the Vedas were first translated from Sanskrit to English by him.
Rigveda, early 19th century, from the Eames Collection, Chicago
Image: Eames Collection, Chicago
Sramana philosophy, the Upanishad and Karma
Around 1000 BC or earlier, during the later stages of the above paganistic early Hinduism, another parallel opposite school of thought evolved, the Sramana philosophy, a revolutionary idea that denied the existence of God and proposed the duality between the mind and the matter. The Mind being the ‘atma’ and ‘brahman’ the matter. The core text of the Sramana philosophy is found in the Upanishads, and more than 200 of them exist.
Like the Vedas, the Upanishads have been passed down through oral tradition. Philosophers like Kant considered the Upanishads as one of the most influential books ever written. This infact it was the first time in the history of mankind that this duality was ever suggested. This concept later influenced the works of the Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, as well as various European philosophers.
The Sramana concept of duality revolved around the idea of Karma– the concept of cause and effect.
The Svetashvatara Upanishad, suggests that the living being, the ‘jiva’ continues in the cycle of birth and death as long as the soul or the ‘atma’ is materially motivated. The body is just a projection, a source of illusion for as long as the individual remain oblivious of their real spiritual identity. Life is nothing more than a journey of self-discovery of finding your true self that may not be limited to one lifetime. The final destination of this journey is enlightenment and a state of selflessness, the ‘atma’ blending in with the ‘brahman’ in perfect harmony with the Universe.
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, further clarifies that this cycle of birth and death are defined by Choices. Choices that we make in one lifetime define our future, a simple ripple of cause and effect that becomes our personal Karma. This Karma directs us into a body that is most appropriate for the reactions that we need to endure, or the lessons we need to learn. Since everything is based on a cause, it is one’s Karma that will determine one’s situation in the next life, such as race, colour, sex, or area of the world in which one will appear, or whether one is born in a rich or poor family, or be healthy or unhealthy, etc.
The Upanishads say that Karma should not be considered a punishment but a learning curve; essentially, Karma is a corrective methodology, a path of liberation and spiritual realisation.
The 7 Chakras
The Upanishads not only theorised human existence but also suggested the anatomy of the living being, the ‘jiva’ in terms of 7 energy vortexes or Chakras. According to the Upanishads each of these energy centres require stimulation and balance to achieve harmony between the ‘atma’ and the ‘brahman’. Once this harmony is established one could reach states of non-materialistic, higher consciousness and this would eventually pave the path of liberation from Karma and the cycles of life and death.
The Chakras corresponded with “five core elements” of Hinduism– Bhumi (Earth), Jal (Water), Agni (Fire), Pawan (Air) and Vyom (Aether or Void). Aether was the most subtle element and created the other four elements.
Image: Mindvalley
The 7 Chakras are:
| Starting from the bottom to the top, the first Chakra is the Muladhara or the Root Chakra. Located at the base of the spine, this Chakra represents stability, grounding and instinct. A stimulated Muladhara fights fear and results in an energetic and overall health of the physical body. The colour representing this Chakra is Red and the corresponding element is Earth. | The fifth Chakra is Vissudha or the Throat Chakra. It is located at the throat and works on communication, inspiration, expression, and faith. The colour representing this Chakra is bright Blue and the corresponding element is Sound/Aether. This Chakra promotes creativity. |
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| Starting from the bottom to the top, the first Chakra is the Muladhara or the Root Chakra. Located at the base of the spine, this Chakra represents stability, grounding and instinct. A stimulated Muladhara fights fear and results in an energetic and overall health of the physical body. The colour representing this Chakra is Red and the corresponding element is Earth.: The second Chakra is the Svadhisthana or the Sacral/Sweetness Chakra. It is located between the belly button and pubic bone at the lower abdomen and it promotes the desire, sexuality and pleasure plus works as an energy reservoir. The colour of Svadhisthana is Orange and it drives emotions, fertility and power and the corresponding element is Water. | The fifth Chakra is Vissudha or the Throat Chakra. It is located at the throat and works on communication, inspiration, expression, and faith. The colour representing this Chakra is bright Blue and the corresponding element is Sound/Aether. This Chakra promotes creativity.: The sixth Chakra is Ajna or the Third Eye Chakra. This Chakra sits at the centre of the forehead above the eyebrows and it represents psychic, emotional and mental intelligence, and intuition. The colour of Ajna is Indigo Blue and it drives visions, clairvoyance, dreams, and promotes meditation and thought. The corresponding element is Light/Aether. |
| Starting from the bottom to the top, the first Chakra is the Muladhara or the Root Chakra. Located at the base of the spine, this Chakra represents stability, grounding and instinct. A stimulated Muladhara fights fear and results in an energetic and overall health of the physical body. The colour representing this Chakra is Red and the corresponding element is Earth.: The third Chakra is the Manipura or the Solar Plexus Chakra. This Chakra sits between the belly button and bottom of the rib cage and when active, it works on social interaction and external communication, states of laughter, joy and anger. Manipura is represented by the colour Yellow and this Chakra brings power, self-esteem, calmed emotions, wilfulness and energy. The element for this Chakra is Fire. | The fifth Chakra is Vissudha or the Throat Chakra. It is located at the throat and works on communication, inspiration, expression, and faith. The colour representing this Chakra is bright Blue and the corresponding element is Sound/Aether. This Chakra promotes creativity.: Finally, the seventh Chakra is Sahasrara or the Crown Chakra. Located on the top of the head, this Chakra when elevated brings understanding, cosmic consciousness, bliss and enlightenment. The colour for this Chakra is Violet and the element is the Spirit/Aether. |
| Starting from the bottom to the top, the first Chakra is the Muladhara or the Root Chakra. Located at the base of the spine, this Chakra represents stability, grounding and instinct. A stimulated Muladhara fights fear and results in an energetic and overall health of the physical body. The colour representing this Chakra is Red and the corresponding element is Earth.: Located at the heart at the centre of the chest, Anahata or the Heart Chakra is the fourth Chakra. Anahata relates to the element Air and represents love and inner state of compassion. When stimulated and balanced it brings a better circulatory system of the body, universal oneness, love, trust, sense of sharing and acceptance. The colour of this Chakra is Green. | The fifth Chakra is Vissudha or the Throat Chakra. It is located at the throat and works on communication, inspiration, expression, and faith. The colour representing this Chakra is bright Blue and the corresponding element is Sound/Aether. This Chakra promotes creativity.: |
In addition to these Chakras, the human body is surrounded by the Aura, an electromagnetic field– the psychic field of energy. The size of the Aura can vary from a few inches to many feet in all directions. It is associated with the health of the physical body, and all the organs impact the strength and the size of the aura. It includes and is impacted by all the elements, and its colours vary and change depending upon the mental, emotional and physical states.
There is also believed to be an eighth Chakra that sits about two feet above the Sahasrara, the seventh Chakra and it holds the karmic residue — those energy patterns held for more than one lifetime. When the eighth centre begins to open up and expand, a new spiritual awareness begins to take shape that is not just limited to one individual but a group of people, and this might be the stage close to the end of Karma and the cycles of life and death.
So if Moksha or liberation is the destination and Chakras the path, then Yoga is the method to achieve harmony of the mind, body and the soul and finally lead to Moksha from the cycles of Karma.
Evolution of Modern Hinduism and Yoga
The early Hinduism revolved around the paganistic Vedic rituals and the philosophic ideals of the Upanishads. Infact it seems that the atheistic concept of duality between the mind and the matter always remained very dominant. The oldest of the orthodox philosophical systems in Hinduism– the Samkhya philosophy is directly related from Sramana philosophy of the Indus Valley period from 3000-2000 BCE. The essence of Samkhya philosophy greatly influenced Mahavira and Buddha when Vedic ritualism had become the dominant tradition in India.
In total six traditional schools of thought had evolved from the early Indus Valley Civilisation that consider the Vedas as their divine scriptures. Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta which focussed on Vedic ritualism. Vedanta idolism and Bhakti traditions is what has primarily evolved in Hinduism blended with some Samkhya ideas of Karma and Yoga philosophies.
The non-orthodox forms of ancient Hindu philosophy are– Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Carvaka (died out in the 15th century and whose primary texts have been lost). Moreover, many priests in South India in addition to text of by the Alvar saints also follow the Vedas.
Yoga school of Hindu philosophy is closely based on the Samkhya philosophy and the theories of Samkhya about Moksha and liberation is what influenced the compilation of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali somewhere around 2 BC, although the original ideas of Yoga existed for many centuries. The Yoga Sutras established the Raja Yoga– the oldest school of Yoga.
Quoting Heinrich Zimmer, the most important German scholar in Indian History after Max Müller,
“These two are regarded in India as twins, the two aspects of a single discipline. Samkhya provides a basic theoretical exposition of human nature, enumerating and defining its elements, analyzing their manner of co-operation in a state of bondage (Bandha), and describing their state of disentanglement or separation in release (Moksha), while Yoga treats specifically of the dynamics of the process for the disentanglement, and outlines practical techniques for the gaining of release, or ‘isolation-integration’ (Kaivalya).”
In addition to the Raja Yoga, other schools of Yoga thought also flourished, like the Karma Yoga– the Yoga of action; Jnana Yoga– the Yoga of knowledge or self-enquiry; Bhakti Yoga– the Yoga of devotion. It was the Vedanta philosophy, the ritualistic form of Hinduism that traditionally introduced distinctions such as Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. The core texts of the Vedanta are– the Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavadgita and the younger text, the Puranas.
Yoga Sutras and the Raja and Ashtanga Yoga
The Yoga Sutras, divided into 4 main chapters, Samadhi Pada– the blissful state where the Yogi is absorbed into. Followed by, Sadhana Pada– the actual practice of what one needs to do, which is 2 forms– Kriya Yoga (Yoga by action) and Ashtanga Yoga (Eightfold or Eight-limbed Yoga).
The third chapter, Vibhuti Pada– warns that one can gain “power” by the practice of Yoga and the temptation of these powers should be avoided and the attention should be fixed only on liberation or Moksha. Finally, the last chapter, Kaivalya Pada– describes the nature of liberation and the reality of the
transcendental self.
According to I. K. Taimni, a Yoga Guru and writer,
“The cumulative and collective mastery of the eight limbs aids one in performing Samadhi efficiently. Samadhi then becomes the main tool used by the Yogi to descend through the various layers of consciousness towards the very centre of consciousness. Mastery of the eight limbs is only the prerequisite to begin the descent through consciousness to its centre. The descent through consciousness is an effort of will perhaps greater than mastery of the eight limb”
The practical side of Raja Yoga is called Ashtanga Yoga and is composed of eight limbs: yama and niyama, which are ethical observations; asana– the various postures; pranayama, which is breath control; pratyahara, which is sense withdrawal; dharana, which is concentration; dhyana, which is meditation; and samadhi, which is a high state of concentration, mastery of the mind.
The eight limbs are more precisely viewed as eight levels of progress, each level providing benefits in and of itself and also laying the foundation for the higher levels.
| The first level, Yama comprises of Ahimsa or non-violence; Satya– truth in word and thought; Asteya– non-covetousness, to the extent that one should not even desire something that is his own. Brahmacharya– abstain from sexual intercourse; celibacy in case of unmarried people and monogamy in case of married people; and Aparigraha– non-possessiveness. | The fifth level, Pratyahara– withdrawal of senses from their external objects. |
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| The first level, Yama comprises of Ahimsa or non-violence; Satya– truth in word and thought; Asteya– non-covetousness, to the extent that one should not even desire something that is his own. Brahmacharya– abstain from sexual intercourse; celibacy in case of unmarried people and monogamy in case of married people; and Aparigraha– non-possessiveness.: Niyama, the second level refers to the five observances: Shaucha– cleanliness of body and mind; Santosha– satisfaction with what one has; Tapas– austerity and associated observances for body discipline and thereby mental control; Svadhyaya– study of the Vedic scriptures to know about God and the soul, which leads to introspection on a greater awakening to the soul and God within; and Ishvarapranidhana– surrender to God. | The fifth level, Pratyahara– withdrawal of senses from their external objects.: The sixth level is Dharana– concentration of the mind upon a physical object, such as a flame of a lamp, the mid point of the eyebrows, or the image of a deity. |
| The first level, Yama comprises of Ahimsa or non-violence; Satya– truth in word and thought; Asteya– non-covetousness, to the extent that one should not even desire something that is his own. Brahmacharya– abstain from sexual intercourse; celibacy in case of unmarried people and monogamy in case of married people; and Aparigraha– non-possessiveness.: The third level, Asana is about the discipline of the body, rules and postures to keep it disease-free and preserve vital energy. Correct postures are a physical aid to meditation, for they control the limbs and nervous system and prevent them from producing disturbances. | The fifth level, Pratyahara– withdrawal of senses from their external objects.: The seventh level is Dhyana– steadfast meditation resulting in undisturbed flow of thought around the object of meditation. The act of meditation and the object of meditation remain distinct and separate. |
| The first level, Yama comprises of Ahimsa or non-violence; Satya– truth in word and thought; Asteya– non-covetousness, to the extent that one should not even desire something that is his own. Brahmacharya– abstain from sexual intercourse; celibacy in case of unmarried people and monogamy in case of married people; and Aparigraha– non-possessiveness.: The fourth level is Pranayama– control of breath. Beneficial to health, steadies the body and is highly conducive to the concentration of the mind. | The fifth level, Pratyahara– withdrawal of senses from their external objects.: And finally, the eighth level, the Samadhi– oneness with the object of meditation. There is no distinction between act of meditation and the object of meditation. The Samadhi can be conscious, concentrated on a physical object, subtle object such as mantras, more subtler object such as the senses or concentrated on an emotion like the ego. The Samadhi can be super-conscious where the mind is fused with the object of meditation. The consciousness of the object of meditation is transcended. |
The popular Hatha Yoga
Since the early days of Raja and Ashtanga Yoga, many variations of traditional Yoga have flourished that focus on specific outcomes from their practice. The most popular of these as a great fitness regime the world over is the Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is a system of Yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, in the 15th century India, and documented it in the text– Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Hatha Yoga is meant to be the preparatory stage of physical purification and getting ready for Hatha represents opposing energies: hot and cold (fire and water, like yin-yang), male and female, positive and negative. Hatha
Yoga attempts to balance mind and body via physical postures or “asanas“, purification practices, controlled breathing, and the calming of the mind through relaxation and meditation. Asanas teach poise, balance and strength and are practiced to improve the body’s physical health and clear the mind in preparation for meditation.
Hatha Yoga consists of six limbs focused on attaining samadhi. The six limbs of Hatha Yoga are defined as asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.
An important part of Hatha practices is awakening of Kundalini– an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal energy that lies coiled at the base of the spine usually within Muladhara Chakra. The signs of success in Hatha Yoga are slenderness of the body, cheerful face, hearing mystical sound, bright eyes, sense of well-being, control over the Bindu–forehead, increase in gastric fire and purification of the Nadis (energy channels).
To sum up, the 5000 year old Sramana philosophy from one of the earliest and most advanced civilisations on the planet, evolved into the Samkhya philosophy of traditional Hinduism of Karma and Moksha.
The practical methodology to reach Moksha was compiled in the rules of Raja Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga paved the way to the easier Hatha Yoga. The Samkhya philosophy has also been adopted into Buddhism and Jainism. It also influenced Sufism and Tantrism.
Hinduism today is the fourth biggest religion in the world after Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, and is followed by more than a billion people!
Sadly looking back in the past 2000 years, religion has resulted in so much human suffering but religion was only meant to be a path of self-liberation and about finding peace within ourselves?
Cathedral Notre Dame, Paris
In the garden of Eden, God gave the Choice to Eve whether to accept the apple from the serpent, the evil, and she Chose to eat the apple. It was her Choice, her Karma. God’s give us a Choice to do right or wrong, good or bad, let’s work together to restore faith in humanity and goodness – just a thought …
