Sage Patanjali

Taoshobuddha

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TAOSHOBUDDHA

The word Taoshobuddha comes from three words, ‘tao,’

‘sho,’ and ‘Buddha’. The word Tao was coined by the Chinese
master, Lau Tzu. It means that which is and cannot be put
into words. It is unknown and unknowable. It can only be
experienced and not expressed in words. Its magnanimity
cannot be condensed into finiteness. The word Sho implies,
that which is vast like the sky and deep like an ocean and
carries within its womb a treasure. It also means one on
whom the existence showers its blessings. And lastly the
word Buddha implies the Enlightened One; one who has
arrived home.

Thus, Taoshobuddha implies one who is existential, on

whom the existence showers its blessings and one who has
arrived home. The Enlightened One!

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. yaegiZc®v&i®inraex>.

In practice, yoga is an applied science of the mind and

body. It comes from the Hindu scriptures Vedas.
Practice and study of it helps to bring about a natural
balance of body - mind in which the state of health
can manifest itself.

Yoga itself does not create health; rather, it creates an

internal environment that allows the individual to
come to his own state of dynamic balance, or health.
Basically, yoga teaches that a healthy person is a
harmoniously integrated unit of body, mind and
spirit. Therefore, good health requires a simple,
natural diet, exercise in fresh air, a serene and
untroubled mind and the awareness that main’s
deepest and highest self is identical with the
universal consciousness.

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As a result, to many devotees, yoga becomes a

philosophy that offers instruction and insight into
every aspect of life: the spiritual, the mental and the
physical. Of course, because it is all-encompassing,
people who want to pick and choose from its
smorgasbord can do so without being disappointed.
Yoga is equally satisfying as a physical therapy alone.

Yoga is best known as a set of physical practices that

include gentle stretches, breathing practices, and
progressive deep relaxation. These physical practices
are intended to ready the body and mind for
meditation as well as for a meditative perspective on
life. These meditative practices also follow a
sequence.

In the process first develops the capacity to withdraw

the senses from focus on the outer world, then, the
capacity to concentrate on a meditative subject - a
candle flame, a sacred or uplifting word or image, or
the movement of the breath. Finally, and for most of
us only occasionally, the witnessing leads into a
wordless and timeless experience of inner tranquility.
The yoga masters describe various subtleties among
these states of inner peace, but most of us, at best,
achieve moments of this experience from time to
time.

Everyone seems to be engaged in yoga in one way or

the other without knowing. Every other person you
meet will certainly confirm that he is doing yoga. And

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if you ask anyone of these – what is yoga? No answer

will evolve out of understanding.

Generally yoga is referred to as Hatha yoga that

includes bodily and Pranic exercises to bring about a
change in body mind realm.

Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental

disciplines originating in India. The word is
associated with meditative practices in Hinduism,
Buddhism and Jainism. Within Hinduism, it also
refers to one of the six orthodox (āstika) schools of
Hindu philosophy, and to the goal that school directs
its practices towards. In Jainism, yoga is the sum total
of all activities — mental, verbal and physical.

Major branches of yoga in Hindu philosophy include

Rāja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and
Hatha Yoga.

Patanjali the patriarch of Yoga expounds yoga as

‘chitta vritti nirodhah’. Yoga is a disciplined science to
stop, and change the existing tendencies of the chitta
– a faculty of the mind which is not memory based.
Therefore Yoga is a technique or the means to attain
to a state of mind which is free from any obstruction
of the flow of universal consciousness. And Dhyan,
which is part of yoga that operates at the plane
beyond body-mind realm, is the process that frees the
mind from any poisons arising out of senses and
sense objects.

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It is around this sutra and the meaning of three

Sanskrit terms that the definition hinges. Yoga is the
inhibition (nirodhaḥ) of the modifications (vṛtti) of
the mind (citta). The use of the word nirodhaḥ in the
opening definition of yoga is an example of the
important role that Buddhist technical terminology
and concepts play in the Yoga Sutra. This suggests
that Patanjali was aware of Buddhist ideas and wove
them into his system. Swami Vivekananda translates
the sutra as ‘Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Citta)
from taking various forms (Vrittis).’

It is said:

Xyanm inRiv;ym! mn>,

Therefore let us begin the discipline of yoga:

Aw yaeganuzasnm,

Human beings operate at three levels - body, mind,

and spirit. However these three planes or gateways
or levels do not work in harmony with one another.
Body-mind represents the individual consciousness.
And spirit represents the universal consciousness.
There is never harmony between the two. Individual
consciousness never flows with universal or cosmic
consciousness. This creates anguish, pain, and misery.
It is because of this man remains within the quagmire

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of duality and entrapped within the whirlpool of birth

– rebirth and death.

Ancient sages devised the way to bring the three in

harmony with one another. This system or the body
came to be known as YOGA.

Yoga is an ancient Indian body of knowledge that

dates back more than 5000 years ago. The word
‘Yoga’ comes from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ which
means ‘to unite or integrate.’ The Sanskrit word
yoga has many meanings, and is derived from the
Sanskrit root ‘yuj’, meaning ‘to control’, ‘to yoke’ or
‘to unite’. Translations include ‘joining’, ‘uniting’,
‘union’, ‘conjunction’, and ‘means’. An alternate root
the word yoga may derive from is ‘yujir samadhau,’
which means ‘contemplation’ or ‘absorption.’ This
translation fits better with the dualist Raja Yoga
because it is through contemplation that
discrimination between prakrti (nature) and
purusha (pure consciousness) occurs.

Outside India, the term yoga is typically associated

with Hatha Yoga and its asanas (postures) or as a
form of exercise. Someone who practices yoga or
follows the yoga philosophy to a high level of
attainment is called a yogi or yogini. What is
commonly referred to as ‘yoga’ can be more
accurately described by the Sanskrit word asana,
which refers to the practice of physical postures or
poses. Asana is only one of the eight ‘limbs’ of yoga,
the majority of which are more concerned with

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mental and spiritual well being than physical activity.

In the West, however, the words asana and yoga are
often used interchangeably. This is what comes into
your mind when you hear the word Yoga?

Yoga then is about the union of a person’s own

consciousness and the universal consciousness. We
can think of the union occurring between the mind,
body and spirit.

Well, if you think of women in seemingly impossible

postures then you may have an inkling of what Yoga
is. But that is just it - inkling. You have got a long way
to go before fully understanding Yoga.

Ancient Yogis had a belief that in order for man to be

in harmony with himself and his environment, he has
to integrate the body, the mind, and the spirit. For
these three to be integrated, emotion, action, and
intelligence must be in balance. The Yogis formulated
a way to achieve and maintain this balance and it is
done through exercise, breathing, and Meditation -
the three main Yoga structures.

In Yoga, the body is treated with care and respect for

it is the primary instrument in man’s work and
growth. Yoga Exercises improve circulation, stimulate
the abdominal organs, and put pressure on the
glandular system of the body, which can generally
result to better health.

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Breathing techniques were developed based on the

concept that breath is the source of life. In Yoga,
students gain breathing control as they slowly
increase their breathing. By focusing on their
breathing, they prepare their minds for the next step
- Meditation.

There is a general misconception that in Meditation,

your mind has to go blank. It does not have to be so.
In Meditation, students bring the activities of the
mind into witnessing. This results in a ‘quiet’ mind.
By designing physical poses and Breathing
Techniques that develop awareness of our body, Yoga
helps us focus and relieves us from our everyday
stress.

Six Branches of Yoga

In Indian philosophy, Yoga is the name of one of the

six orthodox philosophical schools. The Yoga
philosophical system is closely allied with the
Samkhya School. The Yoga school as expounded by
the sage Patanjali accepts the Samkhya psychology
and metaphysics, but is more theistic than the
Samkhya, as evidenced by the addition of a divine
entity to the Samkhya’s twenty-five elements of
reality. The parallels between Yoga and Samkhya
were so close that Max Müller says that ‘the two
philosophies were in popular parlance distinguished
from each other as Samkhya with and Samkhya

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without a Lord....’ The intimate relationship between

Samkhya and Yoga is explained by Heinrich Zimmer:

These two are regarded in India as twins, the two

aspects of a single discipline. Sāṅkhya 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 (mokṣa),
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).

Patanjali is widely regarded as the founder of the

formal Yoga philosophy. Patanjali’s yoga is known as
Raja yoga, which is a system for control of the mind.
Patanjali defines the word ‘yoga’ in his second sutra,
which is the definitional sutra for his entire work:

1. Hatha Yoga or Yoga of Postures

Hatha Yoga is perhaps the path of Yoga you are most

familiar with since this is the most popular branch of
Yoga in the West. This branch of Yoga uses physical
postures or Asana, Breathing Techniques or
Pranayama, and now even Meditation as a
marketable package to achieve better health, as well
as spirituality. There are many styles within this path

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- Integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo, Astanga Yoga of

Patanjali, and Jiva Mukti to name a few.

If what you want is a peaceful mind and a healthy

body to go along with it, Hatha Yoga may just be the
path for you.

2. Bhakti Yoga or Yoga of Devotion

Bhakti Yoga is the path most followed in India. This is

the path of the heart and devotion. Yogis who
practice this branch see the ‘One’ or the Divine in
everyone and everything. Bhakti Yoga teaches a
person to have devotion to the ‘One’ or to Brahma by
developing a person’s love and acceptance for all
things. The entire Srimad Bhagwad Purana extols
Bhakti Yoga or path of devotion to Krishna. Certain
Bhakti sutras are dedicated to sage Narad. Sant
Gynaneshwar’s Haripath and the works of many
poets and saints complete the Bhakti Yoga by singing,
chanting, reciting and extolling the praises of the one
formful cosmic presence.

3. Raja Yoga or Yoga of Self-Control

Raja Yoga, compiled in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,

and known simply as yoga in the context of Hindu
philosophy, is part of the Samkhya tradition. Many
other Hindu texts discuss aspects of yoga, including

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the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga

Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita and various Tantras.

Raja means ‘royal’. This path is considered to be the

King of Yoga and this may be due to the fact that most
of its practitioners are members of religious and
spiritual orders. Raja Yoga is based on the teachings
of the Eight Limbs of Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga of sage
Patanjali found in the Yoga sutras.

A Raja Yogi sees the self as central, and as such,

respect to oneself and for all creation is vital to this
path. They achieve self-respect by first learning to be
masters of themselves. If you wish to learn discipline,
then Raja Yoga would perfectly suit that need.

4. Jnana Yoga or Yoga of the Mind

Jnana Yoga is the path of Yoga that basically deals

with the mind, and as such, it focuses on man’s
intelligence. Jnana Yogis consider wisdom and
intellect as important and they aim to unify the two to
surpass limitations. Since they wish to gain
knowledge, they are open to other philosophies and
religion for they believe that an open and rational
mind is crucial in knowing the spirit.

5. Karma Yoga or yoga of service

Karma Yoga is the path of service in its totality. It is

believed that your present situation is based on your

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past actions. So by doing selfless service now, you are

choosing a future that is free from negativity and
selfishness. Karma Yogis change their attitude
towards the good and the bad and in the process,
change their souls, which leads to a change in their
destiny.

6. Tantra Yoga or the path of rituals

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the paths,

Tantra Yoga is about using rituals to experience what
is sacred. Although sex is a part of it, yet still sex is
not the whole of it since this path aims to find what is
sacred in everything we do. Normally sex is
considered as profane. Tantra vision envisions
sacredness in everything including sex. And it is
through this a deeper understanding is attained.
Tantra Yogis must possess certain qualities like
purity, humility, devotion, dedication to his Guru,
cosmic love, and truthfulness among other things.

Yoga and misconceptions

Although Yoga is a path of self discovery and

betterment there is misconception about it created by
baser minds? There are still a lot of misconceptions
about Yoga. One of the most common misconceptions
is created by fundamentalist religions who have

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branded Yoga as part of Hindu religion. Yoga is not a

religion. It is more of a set of profound scientific
techniques for us to discover spirituality within.

These methods do not belong to any religion caste,

community or ethnicity. Just as the Theory of
relativity is not Jewish because Albert Einstein
conceived it, so too radio and television are not
Christian. And no one says why you are using
electricity, because it is Christian and a Christian
mind conceived it. Science does not belong to any
religion, race, caste, or creed! Just because these
techniques were developed by a Hindu mind, does
this mean these techniques are Hindu? But you
cannot change the ‘wisdom’ of human stupidity. So
think through it. In fact, Yoga is the science of the
inner.

It is quite encouraging that Yoga is being practiced by

a large cross section of people from different
religions like Christians, Jewish, Buddhists, and
Muslims extensively both in the east and the west.

Another misconception is that Yoga is an exercise, a

way for us to keep fit. It is partly true, but if you think
that Yoga is just that then you are greatly mistaken.
Yoga develops the body first as it is the first gateway
to the inner. And a weak body is a hindrance to
spiritual growth. Also it is erroneous to consider body
and mind as separate. In reality both are part of one
synergistic harmony. Whatever happens to the body
affects the mind and whatever happens to the mind
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affects the body as well. When you take a few drinks

through the body your psychology is affected. So too
when there is any loss or sudden death or anything
else and you take at the plane of psychology it will
affect your body. Yoga therefore does not simply
focus on the physical but on the mental and spiritual
aspects as well.

Significance of Yoga
Definitely, Yoga is for anyone who is willing to learn
its ways and thus wants to bring about
transformation in life. It does not actually require any
special equipment or clothing. What it requires is
your will to have a healthier, stress-free self. This is
why it is a discipline.

You may first approach Yoga as a way to achieve a

great body or to keep fit and that is perfectly alright.
Yoga really does help in improving your health for
stretching can tone your muscles and exercise your
spine and your entire skeletal system.

Do not just take advantage of what Yoga can offer.

Yoga encourages you to reflect on yourself and to find
your inner treasures. It exercises not just your body
but your mind as well. With a healthy body and mind,
you are on your way to a more fulfilling life.

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The Ashtanga Yoga – Eight

Limbed Yoga
Patanjali’s writing also became the basis for a system
referred to as ‘Ashtanga Yoga’ (‘Eight-Limbed Yoga’).
This eight-limbed concept derived from the 29th
Sutra of the 2nd book, and is a core characteristic of
practically every Raja yoga variation taught today.
The Eight Limbs are:

1. Yama (The five ‘abstentions’): non-violence,

non-lying, non-covetousness, non-sensuality,
and non-possessiveness.

2. Niyama (The five ‘observances’): purity,

contentment, austerity, study, and surrender
to god.

3. Asana: Literally means ‘seat’, and in Patanjali’s

Sutras refers to the seated position used for
meditation.

4. Pranayama (‘Suspending Breath’): Prāna,

breath, ‘āyāma’, to restrain or stop. Also
interpreted as control of the life force.

5. Pratyahara (‘Abstraction’): Withdrawal of the

sense organs from external objects.

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6. Dharana (‘Concentration’): Fixing the

attention on a single object.

7. Dhyana (‘Meditation’): Intense contemplation

of the nature of the object of meditation.

8. Samādhi (‘Liberation’): merging consciousness

with the object of meditation.

In the view of this school, the highest attainment does

not reveal the experienced diversity of the world to
be illusion. The everyday world is real. Furthermore,
the highest attainment is the event of one of many
individual selves discovering itself; there is no single
universal self shared by all persons.

Yoga and health

Yoga as a scientific system of physical and mental
practices originated in India more than five thousand
years ago with a sole purpose to help each one of us
achieve our highest potential and to experience
enduring health and happiness. With Yoga, we can
extend our healthy, productive years far beyond the
accepted norm and, at the same time, improve the
quality of our lives.

The branch of Yoga that forms the main focus of

teachings worldwide work with both adults and
children is called Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga begins by
working with the body on a structural level, helping

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to align the vertebrae, increase flexibility, and

strengthen muscles and connective tissue. At the
same time, internal organs are toned and
rejuvenated. The epidermal, digestive, lymphatic,
cardiovascular, and pulmonary systems are purified
of toxins and waste matter. The nervous and
endocrine systems are balanced and toned. And brain
cells are nourished and stimulated. The end result is
increased mental clarity, emotional stability, and a
greater sense of overall well-being.

Because Yoga works on so many different levels, it

has great potential as an effective therapy for chronic
diseases and conditions that do not respond well to
conventional treatment methods. For this reason,
children with Down syndrome and other
developmental disabilities often surprise their
parents and teachers with their quick mastery of
basic motor, communicative, and cognitive skills with
the help of yoga. The same Yoga routine can help
children with learning disabilities develop greater
concentration, balance, and composure in their daily
lives. Everyone gains some level of benefit. The only
requirements are proper instruction and regular
practice.

It is important to remember that Yoga is not just a

slow-motion calisthenics workout or superficial
exercise routine. Anyone who practices correctly
soon begins to appreciate the depth and breadth of its
benefits. For this reason, I always recommend that
the parents of special students enroll in an adult Yoga
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class; then they can experience the effects of Yoga for

themselves. After a number of lessons, they may
experience benefits of relaxation and softening of
deep inner tensions and blockages, a sense of body-
mind equilibrium, and a feeling of energetic buoyancy
that can carry one right through the most difficult of
days.

One should not strain or force him. Yoga is not a

contest or a ‘quick fix.’ Like the proverbial story of the
tortoise and the hare, Yoga favors quiet, consistent
application over theatrical displays and superficial
accomplishments. It does not require that we
transform ourselves overnight into something
beyond our capacity. Yoga begins by accepting our
limitations, whatever they may be, and working with
this self-acceptance as a base. In our daily practice,
we gradually learn to transcend our limitations, one
by one, and in this way, real and lasting progress is
possible.

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