Mahatma Ghandi, Yoko Ono & Seva Art

What do Mahatma Gandhi, Yoko Ono and Doctors without Borders have in common? a: 5yearplan.org.

Yoko Ono  will be one of 20 artists whose work will make up a unique  silk screened, hand bound, handloom khadi cotton cloth book. Each book comes with a handloom khadi jhola shoulder bag.

65 copies will be signed by all the artists and only 500 copies total will be made. All profits from sales will go to Doctors without Borders (MSF) and to fund the next 5yearplan project.

The 5 year plan is an ongoing effort to re-orient art and art production towards generosity and participation, while bridging cultures. In honour of Mahatma Ghandi the 5 year plan is undertaken as ’seva’ (selfless service). The cloth for the books comes from the Ghandi Ashram Collectives, which help millions of rural villagers survive by sustaining local industries and agriculture.

The 5yearplan website is in itself a work of art – check it out.

5 Year Plan from swirly byraloo on Vimeo.

 

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Indian Clerics Enter Muslim Religion And Yoga Debate

Even as I’m working on an article about the difference between spirituality and religion, things continue to develop in the religion and yoga story of Muslim fatwas on yoga.

Indian Muslim clerics have joined the ongoing conflict that has seen Malaysian and Indonesian fatwas against Muslims practicing yoga.

The word from the Indian seminaries is  that yoga doesn’t contradict Islam and in fact they point to many similarities between the two. These more tolerant views are helping many Muslims who practise yoga resolve their dilemma in the face of the bans on certain elements of the practice.

It is also helpful to some Islamic scholars in Indonesia who agree. The feeling of many Indonesians is the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which issued the fatwa against the ‘Hindu’ elements of yoga in late January, does not represent the majority of the Indonesian Muslim opinion.

Speaking in a debate at the first weeklong International Bali-India Yoga Festival last week Salman Harun, director of the Centre of Multifaith Education in Jakarta said better understanding of the art of yoga would ensure that such sever steps are not taken in future.

Also speaking at the festival Stefan Danerek, a scholar who has studied Islam and has also been practicing yoga for the past few months, went on to draw parallels between Islam and yoga claiming “The ’salaat’,  (the ritualistic beginning of the Islamic prayer), and asanas are very similar. He said the focused concentration  required, and even the manner of praying in Islam – is similar to yoga. From this he said one can draw a lot of parallels between the two,”

Personally I don’t know about that and it sounds like a desire to find similarities rather than them being apparent. Danerek ended the debate on an expansive note “Yoga is halal. It is not bound by religious and other boundaries. And just like the holy Koran teaches, it spreads the message of unity and peace”.

I say power to that thought. With a focus on the message of unity and peace that is common to all major religions we would live in a very different world with plenty of room for yoga and religion.

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Chakras Pt1 East Or West

Despite everything you may have heard or read about chakras, there is no unified theory or explanation of exactly what the chakras are and what they do. Unfortunately much of the information on chakras is simply a repeating of what has been said or written elsewhere and the basis of it is only it’s repetition. Very often components from different theories become mixed together adding to the confusion and misunderstanding.

Perhaps the biggest confusion is between the yogic or Tantric concept of the chakras and western or new age concepts. In the yogic/ Tantric philosophies the chakras are subtle centers of consciousness, but have no energy-status of their own. While in the Western/ new age theories the chakras are seen as energy vortexes connecting each of the subtle bodies and the physical body.  From this view the chakras are energy/consciousness transformers, linking the various subtle bodies (the etheric body, the astral body, the mental body, etc) to the physical, by stepping down the frequency of the consciousness-energy of the higher body, so it can be received by the lower one. It was CW Leadbeater of the Theosophists who first proposed these ideas in the early 20th century.  Subsequently this idea became mixed with ideas largely derived from Sir John Woodroffe’s The Serpent Power, a very technical work based on a translation of two sixteenth century Bengali texts, first published in 1919 under the psuedonym Arthur Avalon.

The big difference between these two  concepts of the chakras is this. In the yogic/ Tantric concept the  chakras are latent dimensions of consciousness to be awakened and activated in the process of spiritual evolution. In the Western/new age concepts  the  chakras are dynamic energy centers and energy portals that have a direct impact on each level of our being from the physical to the spiritual. it is clear then that the two concepts do not exclude each other,  and should be viewed and understood separately, to avoid confusion and misunderstanding. For example, many of the books, charts and diagrams of the chakras use the Sanskrit names and descriptions from ancient texts, while at the same time allocating colors, crystals and all manner of attributes and activities,  derived from the Western/ new age concepts.

Common among many of the different concepts is the number of the primary chakras being seven. Exactly where they’re located is another matter. But here too we can broadly differentiate between the two primary groups of thought that I am discussing. The main difference between the two is the location of the second and third chakras. In the yogic/ Tantric view the second chakra  is located in the lower abdomen at the ‘root of the genitals’ and the third chakra at the navel. From the Western/new-age view the second chakra is at the navel and the third at the solar plexus.

The  Sanskrit names are, from top to bottom:
Sahasrara – crown
Ajna – brow
Vishuddha – throat
Anahata – heart
Manipura – navel
Svadhisthana – genitals
Muladhara – base of spine

According to the traditional Tantric teachings, the seven chakras are strung like pearls or jewels along the brilliant thin thread of the sushumna nadi, which is the primary nadi in the body in the center of the spine.  On either side of the sushumna are the two main secondary nadis: the white moon-like ida on the left, containing descending vitality (apana), and the red sun-like pingala on the right, containing ascending vitality (prana in the narrow sense of the term).  The tantric yogi aims to direct the subtle ‘airs’ from these two primary side channels into the central sushumna nadi, and so activate the dormant Kundalini energy.  This then ascends piercing each of the chakras in turn, and when it reaches the top of the head, the six lower charkas are unified as one at the crown.

The Tantric texts describe the chakras as stations or centres of pure consciousness (chaitanya) and consciousness-power.  They are focal points of meditation; iconographic structures within the  "subtle body".  Apart from the Sahasrara, each chakra is described by means of a whole array of symbolic associations or representations.  In the later Upanishads more is added, each chakra, as well as having a specific position in the physical body, element, mantra, and deity, also has a particular number of "petals", each associated with one of the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, a corresponding colour, shape, animal, plane of existence, sense-organ, mantric sound, and so on.

As is usually the case with intellectual esoteric systems, many of these correspondences are arbitrary, for example, smell and feet with Muladhara, taste and hand with Swadhishthana, sight and anus with Manipura, etc.  The number of petals  too seems to be more a device for visualisation in meditation than representing the actual reality. After some time of visualising these forms at specific locations in the body, they would naturally form in the subtle bodies.

The now almost universal application of the rainbow colors to the different  chakras, was introduced by Christopher Hills in the early 1970s. Hills  model of personality types based on the  chakras that accompanied the rainbow colors is largely forgotten but the rainbow had an irresistible appeal and became fundamental in future presentations of the chakras and another flavor in the mix.

In part 2 I will look in detail at the Western dynamic concepts of the charkas.

 

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The 3 Gunas

In the philosophy of Yoga, all that is manifest in the universe arises from the fundamental unmanifest called Prakriti. Prakriti literally means the original power of action. It does not refer to substance in the physical sense but to the potential from which all forms of matter, energy and mind can arise. Prakriti is the original state of pure potential out of which all things become possible. Prakriti itself is said to be a composite of three prime qualities the 3 gunas sattva, rajas and tamas.

From this ethereal Prakriti the entire manifest universe comes forth. Within all that is manifest are all the three gunas (qualities) creating the essential aspects of all nature—energy, matter and consciousness.  The three gunas are: Sattva – the power of harmony, balance, light and intelligence – the higher or spiritual potential; Rajas is the power of energy, action, change and movement – the intermediate or life potential; Tamas is the power of darkness, inertia form and materiality – the lower or material potential.
All three gunas are always present in all beings and objects surrounding us but vary in their relative amounts. The one which predominates will be the predominant tendency of that thing. We humans have the unique ability to consciously alter the levels of the gunas in our bodies and minds. The gunas cannot be separated or removed in oneself, but can be consciously acted upon to encourage their increase or decrease. A guna can be increased or decreased through the interaction and influence of external objects, lifestyle practices and thoughts and this forms the foundation of Yoga philosohpy and science for life.

It is important that we do not attribute value judgement to the gunas and their presence in our life or spiritual practice. Instead through understanding we can come to see where and how they are applicable. All are necessary and of value at different times and applications. If there was perfect equilibrium between the three gunas, there would be no manifestation of the universe. It is only when there are fluctuations or modifications (vikaras or vikritis) among them that there begins to be manifestation. For example if I really need to sleep and want to go to sleep, then my mind is, tamasic, and that is good. But if it is morning time, and the time that I would do sadhana, (spiritual practice)  and my predominant state is tamasic, it is likely I will not do my practice, or if I do, get little benefit. In this last instance I need some rajasic energy to overcome the tamasic tendency. If I can get this balance right by the end of my sadhana my state  should be sattvic.

The principle of the three gunas operate at all levels. In diet for example, all yogic strictures regarding diet are based on fortifying the sattvic quality. This is to  optimize conditions for meditation and a useful spiritual life. The ideal of yogic life is for sattva to become predominant. In a sattvic state we tend to be  clear and balanced in thought and deed. The sattvic state though should not be seen as the ultimate objective. It is from this  state that we can most effectively undertake spiritual practice,  the process of which leads to diminishing influence of any of the gunas, until we are free of all influence from the subconscious and rest once more in Purusha (true nature)

To increase sattva reduce both rajas and tamas, eat sattvic foods and enjoy activities and environments that produce joy and positive states. All of the yogic practices were developed to create sattva in the mind and body. Thus, practicing yoga and leading a yogic lifestyle strongly cultivates sattva. To reduce rajas avoid rajasic foods, over exercising, over work, loud music, excessive thinking and consuming excessive material goods. To reduce tamas avoid tamasic foods, over sleeping, over eating, inactivity, passivity and fearful situations.

Sattvic Food
This is the purest diet, the most suitable one for any serious student of yoga. It nourishes the body and maintains it in a peaceful state. And it calms and purifies the mind, enabling it to function at its maximum potential. A sattvic diet thus leads to true health: a peaceful mind in control of a fit body, with a balanced flow of energy between them. Sattvic foods include cereals, wholemeal bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, pure fruit juices, milk, butter and cheese, legumes, nuts, seeds, sprouted seeds, honey, and herb teas. Sattvis food is also ideally self prepared.

Rajasic Food
Foods that are very hot, bitter, sour, dry, or salty are rajasic. They destroy the mind-body equilibrium, feeding the body at the expense of the mind. Too much rajasic food will overstimulate the body and excite the passions, making the mind restless and uncontrollable. Rajasic foods include hot substances, such as sharp spices or strong herbs, stimulants, like coffee and tea, fish, eggs, salt and chocolate. Eating in a hurry is also considered rajasic.

Tamasic Food
A tamasic diet benefits neither the mind nor the body. Prana, or energy, is withdrawn, powers of reasoning become clouded and a sense of inertia sets in. The body’s resistance to disease is destroyed and the mind filled with darker emotions, such as anger and greed. Tamasic items include meat, alcohol, tobacco, onions, garlic, fermented foods, such as vinegar, and stale or overripe substances or those chemically treated, processed or refined. Overeating is also regarded as tamasic.

You can find Krishnas teaching Arjuna on the three gunas at the end of Chapter XIV of the Bhagavad Gita
Entitled "unatrayavibhaga-Yoga," or "The Yoga of the Distinction of the Three Gunas".

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Eight Limbs Of Yoga 8- Samadhi

Samadhi is the final limb in this great art and science of yoga. As we saw in the third limb of asana, yoga is the process of joining together into unity, and samadhi is it’s experience.

Through dharana and dhyana we have entered deeper and deeper into ourselves and past beyond the limitations of ordinary mind. Paradoxically as we enter deeper into ourselves consciousness is expanding and samadhi is the embracing and unity of all that is in awareness. In samadhi there is no more distinction of ‘me’ and ‘not me’, of ‘I’ and ‘other’.

Sometimes samadhi is mistakenly identified with enlightenment. There is a wonderful

illustration of this in the life story of Rama Krishna. I believe the story is to be found in the book ‘Great Swan’, which no longer seems to be on my bookshelf so I will tell it from memory.

Rama Krishna is one of India’s great saints of the 20th Century. He was a brahmin priest at a Kali temple on the banks of the holy river ganges, in Dakshineswar, now part of Calcutta. The story is primarily about a wandering sadhu who came to Dakshineswar. Despite having never stayed in one place for more than two nights in several decades the sadhu felt compelled to stay in the company of Rama Krishna. The sadhu was an adherent of advaita vedanta and jnana yoga which is the pursuit of liberation through knowledge. Rama Krishna on the other hand was primarily a bhakti yogi, which is the yoga of devotion and he was an ardent devotee of the Divine Mother in the form of Kali. The two spent many night debating on spiritual matters and the sadhu espousing the superiority of his philosophies and the path of knowledge.

The sadhu, through his many years of rigorous spiritual practice was able to enter samadhi in meditation. However in his prolonged stay in Dakshineswar he became ill with dysentery. As his body weakened he was no longer bale to crete the condition to allow the arising of samadhi. He became so disconsolate that he decided to leave his body by walking into the ganga (river ganges) focusing his mind on Brahmin (God). He went to the river and summoning his last vestiges of strength and concentration he focused his mind and began to walk. After some time it occurred to him that he ought to have been deep in the river so he opened his eyes to find himself on the opposite bank standing before Kali. As you would he fell with bowed head.

I would dearly like to honor the nameless sadhu with his name, so if you do have a copy of ‘Great Swan’ and can look it up for me I’d be very grateful.

 Eight Limbs of Yoga 7 Dhyana

    

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Eight Limbs Of Yoga 7- Dhyana

With dhyana we go deeper into the domain of grace, and the reality of our inseperable nature begins to grow clear. We are entering the depths of meditation where our focused awareness reveals ever deeper aspects of our true nature.

In the growing expansiveness of this state we clearly perceive the grace by which we are here. In this perception of grace we experience the love that is the Divine’s presence and spontaneously our own heart opens in response. Dhyana is then the natural devotion of the heart in proximity to the Divine.
Philosophically you might say the Divine is ever present and this is true, what is missing is undivided awareness of the presence.

In this openness things can become crystal clear, profound insights can be gained through a level of intelligence that is beyond mind as we normally experience it. Such clarity and insight arises spontaneously like precious gifts of grace. In this we realize

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Eight Limbs Of Yoga 6- Dharana

Dharana is the state of single pointed concentration. In this state thought has ceased and awareness sinks inward to rest in it’s own nature.

All previous aspects of the eight limbs are necessary for dharana to arise and pratyahra leads directly into it. In this moment we cross a new threshold.

In the previous limbs our self effort has been required, our discipline, perseverance and commitment. At dharana we have come to the point where we are ready to enter the mystery, and what occurs next is by grace. We have reached the point where we must

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Eight Limbs Of Yoga 5- Pratyhara

Having crossed the bridge between the external and internal domains, riding the wave of prana’s flow we enter Pratyahra. In pratyahara the allure and stimulation of the external world no longer draws our mind into motion. Instead we sink into the depths of ourselves and mental motion ceases.

Normally in a subconscious manner we are constantly receiving stimuli through our senses, sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. Being energetic beings we also receive stimuli energetically, though often we are less aware of. We name perception at this level intuition. So let us say our six senses are receiving stimuli. Most of the time for most of us what gets stimulated is subconscious and therefore a past we hold within us. Most of the time most of us react to the stimulus from the associated energies we hold as that past or pasts.

The state of pratyhara then is when our connection with ourselves is clear and strong enough that we are not drawn into re-action by the energies of the past that our present stimulates in us. From this condition we can act in our present with apropriateness to what it is.

We can experience pratyhara primarily in two ways. The first is in action. Let us take asana practise as an example. In asana, when the yamas and niyamas and pranayama are present we achieve union of body and mind in the light of intelligent awareness. Intelligence rather than desire moves us. These are the ingredients of pratyhara in asana.

The experience is of being fully present in the moment, or being in the ‘zone’. This is the same experience that many people experience in sports, in particular extreme sports. As i have used a surfing analogy already let us take it a step further. When a surfer experience the moment when it all comes together in the perfect ride, body, board and wave become one the mind becomes still yet there is alertness, responsiveness, they are in the zone.

The difference between this kind of ‘zone’ high and pratyhara in yoga, is that in yoga it is one aspect in a total system. A system of design and purpose whose results is not achieved in a momentary experience that must be re-enacted again and again to re-experience it. The purpose is the greatest endeavour for a human life, to realise our divine nature and be it, live it.

The second way to experience pratyhara is in contemplation. Typically this will be in meditation, when we turn so deep into ourselves that awareness of the external world falls away.

The point though as with each aspect of yoga is their integration into how we live.

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Eight Limbs Of Yoga- 3 Asana

The practice of asanas is the aspect of yoga that has become synonymous with what yoga is. As we can see it is but one face of the jewel of yoga.

To begin understanding asanas as something more than an ancient health and fitness exercise system, let us look at the meaning of ‘yoga’. The Sanskrit root of the word yoga is ‘yuj’ meaning to join, bind, yoke, at a deeper level it means union. We can say then that it is a process of joining to create unity.

So the question is now, join what to create what union? Yoga is a spiritual science and it’s purpose is to facilitate the joining of the fractured human nature, so as to realise our true state of union with the  Divine.

Asanas then are the body postures that we know commonly know as yoga. The science of yoga understands the inter-related dimensions of our humanness. The body, mind and emotions are all inter-connected. As such what occurs in

one effects the others. Asanas are one means of facilitating a unity between body mind and emotion that allows deepening integration of the experience of spirit.

In the Niyama of sauca we spoke about yoga as a system of purification. I’d like here to make the connection between purification and the process of unifying, so that purification can broadly mean the process of joining together what is separate. Within this process are multiple dimensions of purification at physical, mental and emotional and subtle levels. Because of our holistic nature each level can be found through each other level. The body in asana then becomes the site of this process.

When we perform asanas we create a process of ‘opening’ the body. This opening allows flows of blood, lymph and subtler energies of prana and awareness. It is this awareness aspect that makes asana a spiritual practice and not just exercise.

At the physical level the increased flows of blood and lymph increases the health and vitality of the bodies cells. At subtler levels the same opening and increase of flow occurs in the movement of prana in the nadis. The nadis are the subtle energy channels, similar to the meridians in far eastern systems. Prana is the subtle energy similar to chi in the far eastern systems. The flow of subtle energy in the nadis allows purification at this subtler level, purification occurring where the flow has stagnated.

The body is the site of the subconscious, meaning it stores or holds the subconscious. In asana we open the body to allow awareness to travel into the subconscious to bring into the light conscious awareness of what is there. It is in the subconscious that what in us is fractured is held, as well as the why; at deeper levels is also the means of re-joining. In this subconscious state of fracture are the feelings, emotions and beliefs that formed and maintain the fractured state. Making them conscious then allows their healing.

It is my personal view that the process of re-joining is a process of healing. As such the spiritual process of yoga is a healing of the fractured into re-joined unity or lived union with the Divine. Asana as spiritual practise is an integral part of this process on the yogic tradition.

In a future article i will explore the relationship between asana and the other seven limbs.

Let us look at the yamas and niyamas to see how awareness in asana is applied. The principle of ahimsa shows that asana practice is done without violence towards ourselves. The principle of satya indicates the need for truthfulness with ourselves in our asana practice. The principle of asteya in asana can be the requirement of balance between the two sides of our body, that one part is not taking from another.

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Eight Limbs Of Yoga- 2 Niyamas

Like the Yamas, there are five Niyamas. Direct translation of Niyama from sanskrit means "rules" or ‘laws’. A more fitting interpretation might be ‘disciplines’. The Niyamas then can be seen as the disciplines and dharma supporting a yogic life.

1. Sauca (Cleanliness)

In understanding the eight limbs of yoga we must at all times keep in mind the purpose of yoga and more importantly, the means that it’s practice forms to reach it. At this level cleanliness can be understood as the process of purification. We can find an application of this process in every of the eight limbs.

In Sauca the discipline is in relation with oneself. Cleanliness or ongoing purification requires a foundation of physical and mental health. Sauca then is the attention to care for the maintenance of our physical health. Because

yoga is a science of the inter-relation of body, mind and spirit, this personal cleanliness is applicable at each level. Also because we do not exist separately from our society and wider environment, sauca extends from us into the world in our actions and attitudes.

2. Santosha (Contentment)

Santosha is the mental aspect of our health foundation and is the seed of the fifth Niyama. The contentment of santosha is acceptance and acceptance is the seed of surrender. Santosha requires then presence in the moment. If the mind moves to what could be, should be, would be, contentment disappears.

3. Tapas (Heat)

Tapas is often given to mean austerity, the austerity is however the means of creating the heat. Tapas in this sense is

the heat required for purification.

At each level of our being purification is usually uncomfortable, getting increasingly so at subtler levels. It takes therefore a real conviction and courage to hold oneself in this fire. Tapas then also implies the heat of desire for truth, for self realisation, for liberation required to keep stepping into the fire.

4. Svadyaha (Self-inquiry)

As i have already expressed svadyaha is seen and required in each of the eight limbs. To do any action, be it a spiritual practice or something mundane without svadyaha is to be asleep in the dream. Svadyaha is the light that illumines our life wherever we shine it. Practicing and developing self-awareness is what transforms the eight limbs from a set of rigid rules into principles for living that can be applied with appropriateness to the moment.

Svadyaha is also the keyhole in the door that forms the veil of separation. It is also part of the key itself made up of the alive and vibrant totality that the eight limbs form in it’s light.

5. Isvarapranidhama. (Surrender)

In christianity isvarapranidhama is expressed as "thy will be done’. When the egoic mind has been tempered through living and deepening the yamas and niyamas and other limbs, space opens in us to feel and perceive the movement within life that is beyond our personal thoughts and desires. We begin to connect to the presence of the Divine and feel it’s movement around us and through us.

Isvarapranidhama, is a journey in itself, a broad threshold of subtler and subtler letting go. Yet it to is present and developed in each of the eight limbs.

I hope by now it is becoming apparent that in a holistic, even holographic way, each of the limbs and their aspects is in some way present within all the others. Rather than a series of stepping stones there are like a tapestry woven together, each requiring and supporting the others.

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