6th May, 2009 - Jnana Yoga session at Great Lakes by Dr Venkat Krishnan
Yes I am reading it at Great Lakes.
We have been asked to pre-read few topics upon Jnana yoga before coming to class. Initially I was a bit apprehended about reading such topics while in MBA. But just after reading few pages of the Swami Vivekanand's book, I have understood the importance of the subject. The subject is not meant just for MBA but it is meant for the life and you as overall. BTW preachings of Jnana yoga are not for common man because it tells you to practice non-attachment directly which is actually not possible by everyone. There is another school of thought and priciple - Karma Yoga, which is the better way for a common way to self-realization.
Some of the important precepts from the Jnana Yoga are as follows (Thanks Mithesh for help):
Religion:
The book says that Religion is necessary. It is a force to mould the destiny of man, more powerful than race, descent, brotherhood. All religions claim their supernatural origins, not from logic.
Two theories of origin of religion:
i) Ancestor worship (egypt,china) : to keep the memories of the dead, alive.
ii) Nature worship: (aryan)
There are two big questions:
i) What happens after death?
ii) What is the power of nature?
These cannot be answered by the senses, need to go beyond.
Dream is a wonderful state, like a transcendental state. All founders of religion have gone into the trans state to get a glimpse of the spiritual kingdom, certain facts from it. Every religion puts forth an ideal, for every one to achieve. Man runs after infinite power and pleasure, trying to achieve infinite through finite. Ethics call for renunciation, the basis of ethics. Ethics based on society do not work, as society changes , they have to be based on religion.
There are two natures:
i) External nature: material focus
ii) Internal nature: working of the mind
Religion should be broad based, open to change and inclusive.
Real nature of Man:
The book poses inquisitions about what is the the real nature of man. What is real? If everything is momentary, what is real? It put forth lights upon various schools of thoughts based upon reality: Nihilism: which says live in this moment, only this moment is real. The other thoughts are of Vedic people who believe that we need to search for the real. The book also tells that this age is a corruption of the former self, degeneration continues till annihilation and then a fresh start will happen. It also counters the thoughts of scientists who say that this age is a evolution. Hindu belief system says that it is in waves, evolution pre-supposes an involution.
It also discusses about Religious superstition VS scientific superstition. Today we believe blindly about everything science says but don’t believe upon religion teaching and principle. Why so? In fact, religion should have the more or equal validity as science because it has been preached, practiced from thousands of years. It also ponders upon if the soul brought the body or vice versa? The answer to it lies in The Atman (which is independent of space, time, and causation) which controls the body via the subtle body (mind). Since the atman is Infinite , it is unique across and is just one. All soul are just the part of that infinite, Atman. The nature is hiding the reality, we are already perfect, we need to assert the Self, the Atman. Finally it tells that The Self (Atman) is the real nature of man, which every religion is trying to explain, Self is the centre of all ethical codes.
The utility of pursuing Self is happiness. Separation causes misery so to attain Self practice non-attachment. Realating to its practicality in the society, it says that Society has to accommodate the truth, not vice versa, the society has to be modeled to make truth applicable. So practise truth, practice, practice, practice. It narrates a beautiful Sheep lion story in which a lion is reared among sheep and start considering himself to be a sheep. It’s just one day that another lion make him realize that he is not a sheep but a lion. Same is the story of us. We human-beings have all that inside. But we try to seek everything outside. We need to recognize ourselves. We see outside what we are inside. Finally, book concludes to Teach everyone strength, not weakness. Tell everyone that they are the Atman and have come here for a big and noble cause i.e. Self realization.
Maya:
Well that’s my mother name as well. So it was obvious to read this topic with interest.
Few precepts about it are:
1. It is not a illusion, it is a statement of facts, what we are, what we see around us, the way the world works. Clinging on to senses, life, bondage, this is Maya. We are living in a contradiction of existence/non existence, optimism / pessimism. Inhuman progress is creating new avenues for pleasure and even greater number of avenues for pain. Vedantic philosophy takes things as they are, accepting their contradictions. The infinite is trying to express itself through the finite, when it realizes that it is futile, it enunciates itself, this forms the basis of religion.
Agnostics believe that Maya is everything while Vedantic says that maya is just a curtain beyond which we have reality of the Self. It also poses intelligent question like if every thing is maya then why should we work? It answers it wonderfully and logically that it is required to increase knowledge, decrease fanaticism from the world. To lessen misery, to remove ignorance is the only true source of happiness. Finally it concludes that Absolute freedom leads to personal god.
The conception of god
The book intelligently speaks about the conception of God. We must not perceive someone’s ideals/motives/gods by ours i.e. everyone must be judged according to his own ideal not of anyone else. Early religion had no good or evil, as society grew it needed restraint , so it modified gods as the ideal, powerful altruistic being which codified ethics.
It answers about why we have evil in this world in a way that good and evil both go together in this maya. There are to ways of attaining self: Paravratti and Nivratti. Para says “do” while niivrati says “Do not”, means Nivratti tells to control your desire, raise sprirituality while Para tells to do some given action which is part of Karma yoga
It says that Life is a Tantallus Hell: Sad are those who live in the senses, sadder are those who seek something greater, as it cannot be realized through senses or logic. India has social barriers not religious barriers.(buddhism , charvakas). All ideas emanating within maya are maya. Only freedom may lead to growth: one cannot control and yet let you grow. If their is any evil, then go to its root and remove it, denouncing does not help.
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