Chapter 6: THE FOUR WAYS TO LIVE IN YOGA
How does one live in Yoga? How does one become a true Yogi? Over the centuries, those who have realized the true meaning of Yoga have prescribed four ways to live in Yoga, in Divine Union.
Discrimination : For one to be in Yoga, one has to live a life of Discrimination, referred to by the sages as Vivek. What does this mean? The mind is constantly producing thoughts, up to 50,000 thoughts a day. These thoughts make us sink in the Bhoga of Samsara, the sensual pleasures of this world. As such, it is impossible to be in Yoga. What is the solution?
For one to Discriminate, one has to activate their intellect, the faculty that discriminates every thought and decides what is right and what is wrong. When our intellect takes charge of our mind, then no thought is executed into action without first being filtered by the intellect. To live in Yoga is to live with Discrimination. In normal human beings, the intellect is weak and does not discriminate every thought. Thus, it becomes difficult to be in Yoga or Union because one is constantly sinking in the ocean of worldly thoughts. Therefore, the first way to be in Yoga is to live with Discrimination.
Prakash had a dormant intellect. His mind was king. Whenever he saw wine or whiskey, his mind would be attracted and he would soon be intoxicated. Once intoxicated, he would lose his power to make the right decisions in whatever he did. Instead of being the master, he became the slave. He could never live in Yoga.
Living in Yoga means being a Stithpragya, one with a steady intellect. If one doesn’t use this God-given gift that each one of us has, the Intellect, then we will fail to Discriminate and sink in the miseries of this world. Though they appear to be pleasures on the outside, they are poison in the inside.
Dispassion or detachment : The second way to live in Yoga is to be Dispassionate and detached, known to the sages as Vairagya. How is this possible? We are all connected to our family, friends and society. How can we detach from the world?
A true Yogi doesn’t try to run away from the world, but being in the world, he is internally detached. He is not attached to his possessions and people that he is connected with. On the outside, he appears to be a normal human being, but deep within he lives with Detachment, Disconnected from the world and Connected with the Divine.
To be detached, one has to live with Dispassion. The moment we are passionate, and we desire and crave, we become a slave to our own passions. If one wants to live in Yoga, one has to live Dispassionately, and Detached from the attachments of this world so that one can be free to unite with the Divine.
Ajay was very passionate about his success. But he also wanted to live in Yoga and experience the peace and bliss of a spiritual life. His Guru or spiritual master advised him not to start another business when he successfully wound up his old business in which he had made millions, far more than what he needed. It was an ideal time for Ajay to transform his life. However, being passionate about being successful, Ajay started another big business. His passion led him to become a slave of his desire. How could he achieve the ultimate goal of Yoga?
If we want to be in Yoga, we must douse the flames of passion that will consume our desire for Yoga. (IMPROVE SENTENCE)
Discipline of Body and Mind : To live in Yoga, one needs perfect Discipline of body and mind. The sages called this Sat Sampad and prescribed disciplines that included Shama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Shraddha and Samadhana. To simplify the prescription and understand it, one needs a perfect discipline of body and mind to be in Yoga.
We human beings are said to be like a chariot with 5 horses. The 5 horses are the 5 senses that we are blessed with. The reigns of the horses is our mind. We, the Divine Soul, are the charioteer. To Discipline our life, we must take charge of the 5 senses through controlling the mind. If we don’t, then our 5 senses will behave like 5 wild horses and destroy our peace and bliss. We must discipline both our body and mind through Sadhana or spiritual Discipline. This is not easy and it takes time to develop such Discipline, but without Discipline, one cannot live a life of Yoga.
Control of the body and control of the mind makes us live like a tortoise that has a protective shell. Whenever enemies attack, it withdraws within and protects itself. Such is the way to live. Discipline creates Forbearance, Faith and Fortitude, key elements to be in Yoga.
Desire for the Divine and Liberation : The sages called this Mumukshutva. We human beings are not able to be in Yoga because we Desire and crave for worldly possessions. We fall in love with people, knowing very well that these relationships are temporary. Our ignorance makes us love an illusion and we fail to love the Divine. We fail to crave for Liberation.
There was once a prince. He was over 30 years old and the king and queen were very worried because he had not liked a single girl and thus, had remained unmarried. One day, as he was searching for some treasure in the attic of the palace, his eye fell upon the painting of a very beautiful maiden. It looked like she was in her early teens. But he instantly fell in love with her. When he looked closely at the painting, it was dated nearly over 15 years back. He decided he will marry this girl and nobody else. He took the picture and asked the ministers of the kingdom to find this girl. A search was conducted but this girl was nowhere to be found. The news reached the Queen. Obviously, she was keen to get the Prince married and called for the picture. She was aghast when she saw the painting. “Oh my God, this is the Prince itself”, she said.
Several years ago, a play was being performed in the palace and they could not find a pretty maid. So the queen had dressed up the Prince as a gorgeous little girl for the drama. This painting was painted at that time.
The Prince was getting very disappointed that they could not find the girl and the Queen did not want to break his heart by revealing the truth. The advisor of the King was a wise man. He took the picture to the Prince and revealed the truth. He said, “This painting is ‘you’, my dear Prince.” The Prince had a hearty laugh. How could he marry himself? His despair disappeared when he realized the truth. The Prince overcame his ignorance and smiled at his love for himself, the pretty Princess in the painting, who was none other than he himself.
We too need a wise man to help us overcome the illusion. We need a spiritual master who will lead us to Yoga, making us realize that the love in this world is not eternal. If we are fortunate to become Mumukshus, then our Desire for the Divine and for Liberation will lead us to live a life of Yoga.
If one wants to live in Yoga, if one wants to be a true Yogi, if one wants to achieve the Ultimate Goal of life - Liberation, one must follow the 4 steps which are pre-requisites for being in Yoga and for being liberated.
We need to open 4 doors,
That will lead us to Liberation.
It starts with Discrimination and Dispassion,
And ends with Desire for the Divine and Liberation.