gdp's Comments

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Pulling Back the Curtain: The Importance of Context. ~ Vrindavan Rao

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:35:50 +0000

Thank you for your thought provoking post, Vrindavan. I have a few observations for your consideration: The Sanskrit word that has been translated as “irreligion” in the verse is adharma. A partial translation would be, ‘without or against dharma’ (similar to ahimsa; without himsa, or violence). That would mean that dharma, in context, would be translated as ‘religion’. But, according to authorized and self-realized bhakti yogis that I've heard from, throughout the Gita the word ‘dharma’, as it applies to Arjuna’s unwillingness to fight, is taken to refer not to ‘religion’ but rather to Arjuna’s social obligation as a warrior. So, one may reasonably ask, why is dharma understood to refer to religion in the context of a woman and understood to refer to social obligation in the context of a man? And to which religion does Arjuna refer? And why does Arjuna focus on the notion that women become degraded and polluted rather than focusing on the idea that men become degraders and polluters? The implication is either one of the absence of agency or volition on the part of women (women are not free to reject degraded men) or that women are naturally susceptible to degradation and pollution when the opportunity for irreligious behavior presents itself (women are not capable of rejecting degraded men). Which of these is the correct, contextual understanding? Which brings me to the curious link: you propose that the verse indicates that “the role of women is of paramount importance within society.” But the link takes us to an essay about the role of men in family relationships: I don’t get to the connection (editor?). More importantly, you have not offered a definition of what the role of women is according to the Bhagavad Gita. One would surmise from the verse that, according to the Gita, when religion is prominent the role of women is to have "wanted" progeny. Is child production the only role afforded to women in the Gita's conception of a religious society? The idea that “women should be loved, protected, cherished and held in the highest esteem” and “protected from all negative influences” is the kind of attitude that produces invisible women hidden inside of black burkas who are prohibited from any form of independent activity from driving to voting to leaving the country without the permission of a ‘protector’, namely a male relative. It sounds as if you are saying that the Bhagavad Gita endorses the Saudi Arabian model for treating adult women as minors: is that the case? If this is the kind of respect that a soul in a male body should accord a soul in a female body then how does this promote equality on either a material or spiritual level? I think you may have to address these kinds of questions if you are to successfully contextualize the Gita’s position on this issue for modern, intelligent, and educated women whose frame of reference for ‘protection’ by men and for ‘religion’ when it comes to the role of women is one that understandably inspires them to close the book as soon as they come in contact with this verse, 18 verses shy of the first spiritually contextualizing instruction. I have faith in your ability to present a stronger argument for the contextual understanding of this verse than you have made thus far, though you may have to ignore the word count to do it. - Ys, Hkd

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Don't Be Afraid. ~ Vrindavan Rao

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 19:49:00 +0000

When we ask ourselves "why am I afraid?" and follow the trail to the end we find that all fears ultimately roll back to fear of death: an experience that is the exclusive province of material bodies. And, since psychology as it's currently studied, taught, and practiced, even within new age and modern yoga community contexts, is based on the assumption of consciousness as a product of matter, we are not likely to receive much meaningful help from coaches and counselors who buy into that paradigm. Thanks for highlighting the fact that the Gita's arguments are based on an unconventional premise and, consequently, offer us a different kind of thinking from that which created our propensity for fearfulness. Always a pleasure to read your entries, Vrindavan.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Am I a Yogi If I'm not a Vegetarian? ~ Alanna Kaivalya

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 01:34:39 +0000

Thank you for offering us a comprehensive definition of ahimsa. There's a difference between being judgmental and using good judgment: one speaks to attitude, the other to intelligence. We engage our capacity for critical thinking when we evaluate our options and choose a course of action. Ancient yoga wisdom texts encourage us to do so and, for yogis, such texts and the self-realized teachers who have lived by them should guide our evaluations. Rather than emphasizing acceptance without judgment, the Yoga Sutras clarify how to use good judgment when it comes to establishing a hierarchy of relationships: cultivate an attitude of joy toward the virtuous and equanimity toward those who are non-virtuous. Virtue, in context, is understood in terms of the ethical imperatives previously delineated, ahimsa being the first and foremost among them. In the hierarchy of yogic virtues a carnivorous diet is not on the same level as a vegetarian diet. Yoga wisdom texts do not describe karma as a guilt-inducing fiction; it’s considered a law of nature by which we are accountable for our good and bad deeds in equal measure. Understanding this can be a formidable impetus for yoga, which begins when we truthfully assess our location on the map of yogic virtues and determine to move toward the highest ethical ideal as best we can from wherever we are. As you have so rightly indicated, the role of the teacher is to offer intelligent, truthful, and compassionate guidance devoid of discouraging judgmentalism.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Three Silly Things They Told Me in My First Teacher Training. ~ Michael Graglia

Sun, 5 Aug 2012 17:02:41 +0000

I agree with you on almost every point here, Michael. The only exception is on the issue of who to assist. I agree that there's no way anyone in a 200-Hour TT is going to develop enough expertise to offer appropriate adjustments to every variety of practitioner in their class. And since I find it almost impossible to adjust everyone in my class - in a style of yoga where hands-on adjustments are emphasized - I see no reason to think a less experienced teacher will be able to do so and they certainly shouldn't try. Where our views differ is in who to adjust: I'm inclined to recommend that new teachers offer general, simple (or fundamental) assists to the students in their class that are newest to yoga and therefore need the most help getting into the ballpark of the alignment for a pose. My reasons for this are that this kind of general assist is better for the new teacher than trying a deep assist that they are not really ready to offer, more appreciated by the novice who knows they need the most help (and who will then want to come back to the same new teacher's class, thus building a relationship - see Amy Ippoliti's logic on teaching beginners classes), and let's the new teacher work up toward giving the deep assist to someone with an established practice who wouldn't be as appreciative of an assist being given by someone who isn't really ready to take them deeper into a pose. Anyone thinking about taking a Yoga Teacher Training would benefit from reading your post since it offers them food for thought and questions for the studio or teacher(s) whose training they are thinking of taking - thanks.

Yoga Modern : Using the "G" Word in Yoga Class

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:15:38 +0000

You can try a different word: I usually refer to the Supreme Being, the Paramatma, the personal form of the Absolute Truth, etc. as a way to make it clear that the God they're used to hearing about and the God I'm talking about are not exactly the same idea. The concept of God and the concept of the Absolute Truth are two different things (see http://vedabase.com/en/sb/1/introduction for my favorite explanation of the difference). A lot of students in my classes are disaffected Catholics or people who rejected an orthodox or fundamentalist family religion and they are often amazed and relieved to hear that they can have a personal relationship with a non-judgmental supreme deity within the context of yoga.

Yoga Modern : Using the "G" Word in Yoga Class

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:11:31 +0000

I never hesitate to use the word "God" in my classes, but I make an important distinction between the western religious idea of a creator "God" as he appears on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the devotional yoga conception of the personal form of the Absolute Truth, which includes us as infinitesimal parts of an infinite and complete whole with whom we have an eternal relationship. I make it clear that theistic devotional yoga is non-sectarian; something that you can apply regardless of what form your faith takes off the mat. Not everyone is into yoga as a spiritual practice or a yoga philosophy that insists on a transcendental yet heirachical duality. Those folks don't come to my class and I'm fine with that. The people who do come to my class (and there are plenty of them) are enlivened by the insights into yoga philosophy that I'm sharing; they've made it clear to me that it's one of the reasons they come to my class.

Yoga Modern : Peaceful Evolution

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 01:09:10 +0000

You may want to consider the possibility that your brother is a Ksatriya - meaning "one who protects' and is naturally predisposed toward martial disciplines. Sometimes fighting is ahimsa, as illustrated by the Bhagavad Gita, wherein Krishna teaches the science of yoga to Arjuna while simultaneously urging him to fight a battle Arjuna is trying to avoid. We live in a season of time where conflict is unavoidable. Yoga is more about how we act in the face of that unavoidable conflict, and sometimes the proper response - our dharma - is to fight the good fight for the sake of righteousness rather than for personal reward. I know of members of the military who are also very advanced yogis: perhaps your brother will be one of them.

Yoga Modern : Do actions speak louder than asanas?

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:04:25 +0000

The Bhagavad Gita begins with the question "how did they act", not "what did they say". So I wholeheartedly agree with you that our off the mat actions, how we embody the values of yoga, are more important than our words or the symbolic value (if it even has that) of doing asana at a protest rally. In order for our culture to change we have to change the way we live, beginning with a constructive disengagement from the elements of consumer culture. Unfortunately those elements are the things that make our life convenient and comfortable. Since consumer culture is ultimately unsustainable we have a choice; voluntary inconvenience and discomfort (tapasya) now or involuntary inconvenience and discomfort later. A yoga concept worthy of consideration in this regard is yukta vairagya: appropriate renunciation. There are a couple of ways to practice this. For starters, just as we can practice yoga even if we are not yet fully observing the yamas and niyamas (although I would argue that acknowledging and aspiring to observe them is mandatory), we can renounce the accoutrements of consumer culture in a progressive way, one step at a time, in order to ease out of the convenient and comfortable lives with which we have become so familiar and into a different way of living that is as unfamiliar as it is necessary. In many cases I think this will begin with figuring out how to slow down. This is actually very difficult for us; we are engrossed in the mode of passion, instant gratification, schedules packed so tight we have no room to breath let alone walk instead of taking the bus or taking the bus instead of driving our car. So the question here is; "how can we slow down the pace of our lives and how slow can we go?" Once we've slowed down enough to think we can ask ourselves "Who is being served by my actions?" When you think about it, all of our actions are a form of service. When our service is directed toward our own pleasure then the mentality that created our consumer culture is still present. If our service is meant for the benefit of others - family, friends, society, humanity - there may still be a selfish motive, albeit an extended one. Traditional yoga wisdom texts recommend a form of service that transcends worldly selfishness: service to the source of all being or offering one's life energy to the Supreme Being without attachment to the fruits of our actions. My feeling is that any action short of this category still retains at least the seed of the consciousness that created the consumer culture with which those who participate in or sympathize with the Occupy protests feel so much dissatisfaction, but this idea gives us a worthy, though lofty, target to shoot for. Another idea is that one can chop down a tree with an axe that has a handle made from wood taken from a branch of the same tree that you are chopping down. When environmentalists gathered from around the country to stage a protest at a press conference given by the CEO of Chevron, he thanked the protestors for using his company's product in the course of arriving at their destination. Ha ha very funny, Mr. Watson, but the point remains: If we find creative ways to use the means of consumer culture to bring about it's transformation into yoga culture, that's also yukta vairagya.

Yoga Modern : Who is afraid to get political?

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:08:12 +0000

I'm in complete agreement with you, Carol. Traditional yoga wisdom texts encourage us, as yogis, to use our intelligence, our power of critical thinking, to ascertain the difference between what is real (spiritual, permanent, unchanging) and what is illusory (material, fleeting, incorrect perception) and wholeheartedly reject material conceptions that perpetuate illusion in favor of yogic conceptions that liberate us from illusion. A socio-economic system that is unfair, cruel, and unsustainable can only exist as a function of illusion whereas a system that supports equal opportunity, compassion, and sustainability is a system that reflects and supports yogic values. If we perceive the Tea Party / Wall Street ethos as inherently antithetical to the values of yoga then obviously yogis should vigorously oppose it. "Armed with yoga, stand and fight" (BG 4.42).

Yoga Modern : Defining Yoga

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:54:19 +0000

Thanks Ife. If you ever decide that you know something I hope that you won't stop talking as a result; then how would we have these very enjoyable conversations? I really like that quote for Joseph Campbell. Metaphor does not necessarily negate the possibility of being: literal and allegorical readings are not mutual exclusives. Transcendental means that state where there is no difference between the idea of a tree, the sound vibration "tree", and the tree itself: not an experience we can know with our mundane senses, but I'm convinced we can get there from here if we use transcendental sound vibration to purify and awaken our dormant spiritual senses. Please forgive me for violating my usual rule: it's your post, so you should always have the last word (my sense of etiquette). I think I understand what you're trying to say, though, and by your way of thinking perhaps there is no point in talking but I look forward to hearing more of what you have to say anyway. - Hkd

Yoga Modern : Defining Yoga

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:54:28 +0000

True, we have probably been reading different editions of the world's spiritual wisdom texts and it’s equally common for people to think that all paths must lead to the same One place in order for them to share a common truth at their core. In fact we often assume that our hopes for worldly peace depend on the agreement of spiritually realized souls that the same “One” or “Oneness” is the connecting thread (sutra!), the common secret hiding in plain sight. One area of agreement I share with Professor Ranganatham is that translator/commentators on yoga wisdom texts like the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita often superimpose their own philosophical point of view onto such texts in a way that obscures their self-evident meaning. Or, as Graham Schweig phrases it in his translation and illumination of the Bhagavad Gita, it isn’t necessary to “privilege aspects of the text that the text itself does not emphasize” in the course of imposing “a doctrinal or even esoteric vision…ungrounded in the text’s essential message.” I’m inclined to think that non-dualistic schools of thought are commonly superimposed on essentially theistic texts, giving readers the impression of a non-dualistic intention behind the text. If you want to read an edition that illuminates the essentially dualistic nature of the Gita, Professor Schwieg’s is among the best. I’m happy to share my personal experience of yoga, both as a process and as a result of my practice. But you asked for a definition of yoga, not for our personal experience of practicing yoga: not the same thing. At the core of my experience is what I have heard from my teachers, who definitely walk ahead of me, not beside me. The qualification of someone who writes about the jungle is that they’ve been to the jungle and know it from direct experience. Similarly, the words left behind by the masters of yoga are gifts that are meant to facilitate our replication of their revelatory experience. If I demote them to an equal footing with me (or promote myself to their level) then my pride will surely be my downfall. My point is that the traditional wisdom texts of yoga, which offer definitions and guidance from those who have been where we want to be, can tell us how to get there, and can describe the path’s landmarks along with the means to verify our proximity to the destination, are of far greater value to us than our own speculation. The magic of the qualified guide is that he is a transparent medium: by walking behind him we see the path revealed ahead while following in the footsteps of the guide through whom we see. So, what do I have to say about it and who is the “other” of which I speak? I experience yoga as a perpetually unfolding revelation of my identity as an infinitesimal part in relationship to a complete whole. And as I am both complete unto myself and yet more than the sum of my parts so, too, is the complete whole more than the sum of all being and all beings; complete unto him/her self and then some. And as I am a person so, too, do I experience the complete whole, from whom I derive my person-ness, as a person; without the quality of person-ness they would be incomplete. The deeper I take my practice the more I experience myself as residing within the heart of that supreme being who, in turn, resides within my heart. The deeper I take my practice the more my vision clears, revealing the presence of the supreme person everywhere, within everyone and all things, and fully able, willing, and even anxious, to offer me 100 percent of his attention, which he is uniquely qualified to give while simultaneously offering 100 percent of his attention to all others at the same time and all the time. And when I meditate on the ultimate paradox of the limitless, inconceivable, supremely beautiful and wholly spiritual form of that absolute truth within which all things reside residing within my own heart my mind is blown to pieces and the desire to surrender to that fountainhead of everything and ultimate shelter of everyone increases in proportion to that contemplation. Being categorically different from me and all other sentient beings and unconscious energies – situated beyond the influence of the illusions to which I am subject – I meditate on the supreme independence of that absolute truth, on the absence of any contingency upon which the existence of the supreme person, and by extension existence itself, depends. The Brahma Samhita offers a very concise descriptive along these lines that I regularly use as the basis for my contemplation: “Krishna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.” (isvarah paramah krsnah – sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah – anadir adir govindah – sarva-karana-karanam). BTW: I really like the photos you have accompanying your post. - Hkd

Yoga Modern : Defining Yoga

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:53:32 +0000

Hi Ife. Without my challenging responses you might do the same thing I would do without your inspiring posts; sit here and wonder what to write? But you have been more independently prolific than I lately; inspiration to get off my duff and get writing. I think that, according to your logic, we shouldn’t be able to define anything. We always have to use words that require subsequent definitions in order for the original characterization to be comprehensible. Whether we are defining ‘perspective’ or ‘petunia’, at some point a reasonable person with a basic grasp of the language in question arrives at a point where a definition is comprehensible; there isn’t a never-ending string of definitions proceeding into infinity. I think it’s safe to assume that most people interested in yoga or familiar with washing machines can define “agitations” (or fluctuations or movements or changes if you wish) but you raise a good point in that the yogic conception of the mind is very different from the western psychological concept of the mind. Fortunately for all of us the mind and its agitations are precisely what Patanjali spends the 5th through the 11th sutras (succinct statements) of the first pada (chapter) describing so if one is in need of a yogic definition of the mind I recommend those 7 sutras along with the traditional commentaries on those sutras. Edwin Bryant’s translation and commentary is my preferred edition of the Yoga Sutras, along with Shyam Ranganatham’s (in spite of my disagreement with his ideas about Ishvara and guru, two terms that I trust your readers either know the meaning of or are willing to look up). My definition of simple prefers mango lassi, anyway. You are right, of course: yoga is a word that describes both a process and an experience. But I did offer a definition of the experience as well as the process by which the experience is attained: “The experience of yoga is the union of the true self and the Super Self in transcendental relationship”. I would be happy to offer a definition of 'transcendental' if you think one is required.

Yoga Modern : Defining Yoga

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:25:21 +0000

I disagree with both the argument that yoga must be everything and its premise; that absolute unity is the goal of yoga and the litmus test by which one judges the validity of a definition of yoga. Yoga has a very simple and straightforward definition so I'm not sure why anyone would feel the need to complicate it by insisting that it be everything. The process of yoga is the progressive stilling of the agitations of the mind that obscure the reflection of the true nature of the self. Simple. The experience of yoga is the union of the true self and the Super Self in transcendental relationship; a duality. Patanjali makes this duality clear in his Yoga Sutras as does Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Nowhere in either text is an undifferentiated unity of consciousness embraced nor is the idea that anything and everything should be accepted as yoga advocated nor is random speculation about the definition of yoga by aspiring yogis encouraged. The yogi accepts what is favorable for yoga and rejects that which is unfavorable; a constructive duality based on knowledge, on being able to distinguish between two aspects of the one ground of all being; that which is spiritual and that which is material. If we think that yoga is everything and that there's nothing to know then we will go nowhere and know nothing, in which case there's no reason to practice yoga at all. Ifeoluwa, with all due respect, your post is just tail-chasing mumbo-jumbo.

Yoga Modern : Do Yoga and Politics Not Mix? Asana at Wall Street Protest Elicits Yawns, Sneers.

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:44:20 +0000

Yoga is not only deeply connected to politics (as anyone who recalls the circumstances under which the Bhagavad-gita was spoken knows) but it is the most radical form of political action! This is because yoga turns the concept of the self and our position in the world 180 degrees away from the contemporary concept and position of the self. And with that radical re-definition of self comes a radical shift in values. I think that the reason so many members of the contemporary yoga community, with their very artificial ideas of inclusivity and misguided notions of non-judgement, aren't identifying with this particular political action is because they identify more with the values of the people and institutions that have created the current economic crisis than with the values of traditional yoga. At the end of the Bhagavad-gita Arjuna was fully self-realized and felt no hostility toward his enemies on the battlefield. And then he killed them.

Yoga Modern : Savasana: A Celebration of Death

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 23:18:19 +0000

If for no other reason than the joy of exchanging ideas with a gentleman and a scholar, to say nothing of how they might contribute to the extirpation of internal contradictions from my admittedly verbose compositions, I would love to receive your comments if they are already written, however neo-philosophical they may sound. And I think your father is as wise as he is practical; the inability to explain complex ideas in a simple way is evidence that suggests an insufficient understanding of the subject under discussion. In this case I was, in fact, writing specifically for you. Had I the opportunity to share these ideas with your grandmother I'm sure I would have endeavored to express my thoughts in far more succinct and simple terms. If I succeed as a communicator at all in my yoga classes it's because I find ways to deliver bite-sized nuggets of experiential philosophy in a way that's both personal and relevant in under 5 minutes, and teach 5 minutes worth of material at a time over a period of many weeks (unless I'm leading a workshop or seminar). As a general rule this approach seems to be working; I don't get too many blank looks of incomprehension or perfunctory nods of approval. But you have identified my primary challenge as a writer: once I attack the keyboard the colloquial approach that spontaneously manifests when I speak in my classes tends to retreat in the wake of the arrival of a corybantic dinosaur: pontificatus eruditus. In any event, I agree: we are guides and in order to guide we have to make what we see visible to those whom we are guiding. Finding the simple ways to communicate complex ideas according to time and circumstance is the art of teaching. Thanks again for inciting such a refreshing cascade of thought and reflection, Hkd

Yoga Modern : Savasana: A Celebration of Death

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:16:10 +0000

When we understand material ‘living’ as a shadow representation of spiritual ‘life’ and language as originating in transcendence then we can build a bridge between two worlds that have a relationship to one another. We can use mundane language to refer to qualities of consciousness and methods of achieving transcendence, but this shadow version of language we use in the everyday affairs of material life is not the only form we have available to us; There is also shabda brahman; the absolute truth in the form of sound, which, by it’s very nature, has a purifying affect on the consciousness. In our current state of ‘living’ we are too covered over by illusion to directly apprehend the unity of transcendental sound with what it appears to represent. But we can still use it – we have to use it – in order to purify our senses, to awaken the dormant spiritual senses slumbering beneath the mundane ones, so that we can experience ‘being’ unencumbered by ‘living’ and understand the actual meaning of language in its natural, transcendental state. So I describe ‘being’ to my students by creating an army of attracting thoughts; thoughts that create impressions (samskaras) that are helpful in building the bridge from ‘living’ to ‘being’ or, to switch from your parlance to mine, from material consciousness to spiritual consciousness. Thoughts are not all distracting by definition; some thoughts are more helpful than others. The mind can be the best of friends or the worst of enemies; the yoga of discernment is the art of directing the mind toward liberating associations. So I describe ‘being’ in accordance with the quality of consciousness associated with different states of being in order to convey the understanding that the quality of our consciousness determines our experience of being. All of which implies that one can ‘live’ in a state of pure ‘being’, or that there is a difference between living in the material world and living in the spiritual world. And that’s why what we do now matters: we create our futures in the present. The moral philosophy of yoga is meant to acclimate us to living on the platform of spiritual relationships. Heaven and Hell do not take care of themselves in the future; we create them in the here and now by our actions and the cultivation of a heavenly or hellish consciousness. However much we may identify with the temporal self of a single lifetime we carry with us a sense that something is wrong with this picture and that something is death. We want to ‘be’ because it’s our nature to ‘be’ just as a musician wants to play music because it’s his or her inherent nature to be musical. Fear of death stems from the fact that the appearance or prospect of non-existence is so unnatural to an eternal being that we are spontaneously repulsed by it. In reality, non-existence is simply not possible for us as eternal beings but we’re asleep to our eternal nature so in our ‘dream’ of living we think that death occurs. “What was it before it was?” It, meaning each living being, has never not been. One can ask what one was in a previous life, but the living entity who bounces from life to life has never come into being and will never go out of being; eternal has no ‘before’. Patanjali lists “clinging to life” as an obstacle to yoga precisely because it is illusory; we think that what happens to our bodies happens to us, that when the body dies we die. The end of living gives the appearance of the cessation of being but what’s actually happened is that Elvis has left the building. Of course, these questions and discussions have no place in savasana. But they should precede savasana because when one understands what death is then one can actually do savasana.

Yoga Modern : Savasana: A Celebration of Death

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:15:57 +0000

Thank you for your comprehensive reply to my comment, Ife. Now I can see where our definitions and assumptions align and diverge. You guessed somewhat right: although I was a bit pre-disposed by my peak at your profile to assume that you held a more mechanistic conception of consciousness than you do, I jumped to those conclusions more on account of the implications of your article. And now that I know the distinction you’re making between ‘living’ and ‘being’ it’s easier to understand where you’re coming from and to clarify my own position. I make distinctions between living, being, beings, and the ground of all being or the Absolute Truth (summom bonum), which is different from the concept of ‘God” just as eternal spiritual existence is different from ‘heaven’. My understanding is that living is cyclical; one who is born is sure to die and one who dies is certain to take birth. The dead may not deal with metaphysics, but since we don’t stay dead for very long we’ll be back at the metaphysical treadmill in no time. Savasana for me is therefore not so much about the interstitial state of the death of the physical body before rebirth in another one as it is about letting go of everything we identify with under the bodily conception of the self in order to be liberated from the cycle of transmigration and awaken into a state of pure spiritual being. Which brings us to “being” and the problem of language. Pure being is certainly inconceivable to a consciousness that is encumbered by a matter-based brain. And if our conception of pure being is one without any features or attributes or activities then it can’t be spoken about any more than one can speak of a cognitive nullity. I think that anyone who holds to such a monistic conception of ‘being’ would feel obliged to refrain from talking about it since there is no bridge to be constructed by language – or anything else, for that matter – that will connect the conditioned experience of being to the liberated experience of being; they are mutual exclusives without any relationship to one another. If, on the other hand, we stipulate a ground of all being from which everything emanates, such as we find in the definition of Brahman given in the Vedanta Sutras (yathato brahma jijnasa janmadyasya yathah: “The absolute truth is that from which everything arises”), then we can understand that language does not originate as a development of matter-based human brains but instead has it’s origin, just like everything else, in the absolute truth, which occupies a transcendental position. And in its pure state language performs the function of describing pure being. This is not the duality that it sounds like because in it’s pure state language is not relative, not different from the thing it describes. The problem is that we misappropriate language when we use it for ‘living’ instead of ‘being’ and, as such, we render language mundane; incapable of describing the experience it is naturally intended to convey. And when we talk about describing an experience then we are no longer constrained to a featureless, monistic conception of being but one of a multiplicity of beings all with attributes, activities, etc. operating in a spiritual environment and with a relationship to the one Being who is the source of the multitude, the sum total of the multitude and, simultaneously, in a different category of ‘being’ from the dependent multitude emanating from the one independent source. Or, in other words, the absolute truth must be a person who is one with everything yet categorically different from everything, hence both complete and non-dual while retaining a relationship with his (male aspect) own energies (female aspect). (continued)

Yoga Modern : Warning: Depressing Content Inside

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:52:04 +0000

I think my efforts make a difference insofar as they affect my consciousness and the consciousnesses of people in my sphere of influence, but I don't think it will add up to saving the human race from self-destruction. I won't stop doing my part irrespective of the prospects for worldly success because it's my duty to be of service to all beings and honor Mother Earth. Fear of death is an obstacle to yoga and working without attachment to the results of our efforts is the yogi's path. Krishna tells Arjuna to fight not because Arjuna will be pleased with the results, even if he wins, but because it's Arjuna's duty to fight without attachment, leaving the results up to Krishna, who will protect Arjuna from the karmic reaction to his actions as long as they are performed as devotional service. We are in Arjuna's position; we fight the good fight out of a sense of duty and with devotion to the source of our being, being equipoised in either victory or defeat.

Yoga Modern : Savasana: A Celebration of Death

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:54:39 +0000

I teach savasana with as much seriousness as I teach every pose that leads up to it precisely because I view yoga as preparation for death. But I would never teach savasana in the context you are offering here because I do not define death as the cessation of being any more than I define life as a product of a chance combination of material elements. The underlying assumptions of yoga psychology, as yoga is traditionally and, in my view, best defined, are diametrically opposed to the underlying assumptions of empirical sciences in general, including the various fields of psychology. If we assume that consciousness is a product of matter and is extinguished when the body fails then we can try to talk ourselves out of fearing the reaper all we want but the fact is that it's our nature to want to live. Don't take my word for it; ask anyone who is approaching death if the cessation of being is really their first choice. Or ask any Replicant, for that matter. The nature of the self is to 'be' (sat), which is why death seems so unnatural; it's natural for the body, not the person inside it. Yoga is preparation for death not because we are obliged to acquiesce to the boogeyman of non-existence but because the consciousness we acquire in this life takes us to our next destination when the catastrophic failure of our last body of this lifetime obliges us to leave it. After all, you've changed your body a few times already in this lifetime, but you, the experiencer of these various bodies, are still here. What makes you think you won't receive another body when the last one you have in this lifetime stops working?

Yoga Modern : When Brain Scans Deceive & Scientists Lie

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:41:59 +0000

Yup - yoga is a science. And scientists begin with faith, too; faith in the value of what they are doing, faith in the idea that learning the true essence of nature will be of benefit to others, faith in their instruments of perception, faith in their analytical capabilities, the list goes on and on.

gdp's Comments

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Pulling Back the Curtain: The Importance of Context. ~ Vrindavan Rao

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Don't Be Afraid. ~ Vrindavan Rao

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Am I a Yogi If I'm not a Vegetarian​? ~ Alanna Kaivalya

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Three Silly Things They Told Me in My First Teacher Training. ~ Michael Graglia

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Yoga Modern : Savasana: A Celebration of Death

Yoga Modern : Savasana: A Celebration of Death

Yoga Modern : Savasana: A Celebration of Death

Yoga Modern : Warning: Depressing Content Inside

Yoga Modern : Savasana: A Celebration of Death

Yoga Modern : When Brain Scans Deceive & Scientists Lie

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Am I a Yogi If I'm not a Vegetarian? ~ Alanna Kaivalya