Search | About | In the Light | Contact

 

Yoga Paths

A collection of Yoga paths from the Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

The Eastern paths seem a little clearer - terms such as Enlightenment, Nirvana, liberation, awakening, Self-realisation, yet no-one seems sure what the experience actually is. 

There are a number of frameworks around which spiritual endeavour is built.  These include:

Patanjalis 8 limbs Buddhism 8-fold path Hindu paths

Yama
Niyama
Asana
Pranayama
Pratyahara
Dharana
Dyana
Samadhi

 Right view
Right intention
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right concentration
Kama yoga (action)
Bhakti yoga (devotion)
Jnana yoga (knowledge)
Raja yoga

The 10 commandments of Christianity correspond roughly to Yama and Niyama of Patanjali (the 5 do's and 5 don'ts).  Asana is the domain of Hatha Yoga.  Paths that encompass the full 8 limbs include Raja Yoga (which is a synthesis of the three paths of action, devotion and knowledge), Kriya Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga.  I find Patanjali's 8 limbs of yoga the most all encompassing framework - all the spiritual paths on the planet fit to some degree within this framework, or the Buddhist 8-fold path which is a different approach but similar methods.

Apparently Patanjali's 8 limbs were a subset of earlier Siddha Yoga teachings, but I have never found any information about them.


Hindu - Four stages of life

Classical Hindu tradition divided life into 4 stages, which everyone was encouraged to practise.  This description is from Paramahansa Yogananda's Art of Living (Man's Eternal Quest, published by Self-Realisation Fellowship):

  1. Age 5 - 25.  Celibate Student.  The child should receive concentrated character training and become instilled with spiritual ideals and habits.  As they grow into adulthood, they should get a general education, learn efficiency by study and observation, and seek specialised training in some work to which they feel suited.
  2. Age 25 - 40.  Family life.  As an adult, one should fulfill family and other obligations to this world, while striving to keep a spiritual balance.
  3. Age 40 - 50.  During this period adults should live more quietly, studying inspirational writings and keeping abreast of progress in the arts and sciences, and spending more time in meditation.
  4. From age 50 onwards - Renunciant.  One should spend the last part of life in meditating deeply most of the time; and, through the wisdom and spirituality thus acquired, in rendering social and spiritual service to others. 

Primary desires (Hindu)

Still with Hindu teachings, it is taught that there are 5 basic desires which are the driving force behind all human endeavour.

  1. Happiness
  2. Consciousness
  3. Knowledge
  4. Freedom
  5. Power to express oneself

Some sources only mention the first three (happiness, consciousness and knowledge - maybe an attempt to control their students by with-holding the knowledge of their fundamental desire for freedom).
 

Classical Hindu Yoga Paths

If you read any classical Hindu yoga texts, you will come across these basic yoga paths:

Raja Yoga is also called the "Royal" Yoga, and includes all the above three paths.  At one time it was said that a devotee would spend a lifetime pursuing Karma Yoga.  The following lifetime they would follow Bhakti Yoga, then a further lifetime practising Jnana Yoga.   Later, as human beings evolved in consciousness, through the practice of Raja Yoga a student could practise all three paths in one lifetime.

In this model of spiritual paths it is important to note that your practices will be aligned to your needs: physical (Karma Yoga), emotional (Bhakti Yoga) or mental (Jnana Yoga) development, or a balance of all 3 (Raja Yoga).

Eight Paths to God 

In Edward Tarabilda's Art of Multi-Dimensional living he first covers 8 fields of living. Compare these with the previous models of man and the paths:

1. Spiritual Path - Personal initiation into one of the Eight Great Paths to God, in accord with your innermost spiritual nature.
2. Wealth - Your primal desires and how they support or distract you from your spiritual aspirations.
3. Dharma - How to serve society through an understanding of your caste nature.
4. Career Nature - Your professional aptitudes and how to be happy at work.
5. Creative Play - How to find satisfaction in recreation.
6. Relationships - Your personal style of interacting with others.
7. Mental Health - Your emotional and energetic needs: How to best relieve stress and maintain a constant state of restful dynamism.
8. Physical Health - How to achieve optimum health and longevity in accord with your unique physical strengths and challenges.

Then he defines the Eight Great Paths to God, which tie in a number of the traditional Hindu Yoga paths (see above):

1. Physical body: the path of silence and physical purification (Hatha Yoga)
2. Five senses: the path of increasing charm, beauty and art (Raja Yoga)
3. Mind: the path of selfless service (Karma Yoga)
4. Intellect: the path of discernment (Gyana or Jnana Yoga)
5. Will: the path of the warrior (Laya or Kundalini Yoga)
6. Heart: the path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga)
7. Ego: the integral path (Surya Yoga)
8. Iconoclastic quality: the rebel path (Tantra)

Kundalini & Tantra

Following on from the discussion on chakras above, the path of Kundalini Yoga and Tantric Yoga works specifically to cleanse and purify the chakras, and balance the nerve channels (Ida, Pingala, Sushumna) to facilitiate the rising of the Kundalini.

Tantric Yoga consists of practices to awaken and control the sexual energy.   Kundalini Yoga works more on controlling the pranic currents through breathing techniques.

These techniques are very powerful, and should only be practised under a qualified teacher or other form on instruction. Tibetan Buddhism, for example, uses kundalini meditation practices.  

Kriya Yoga and Siddha Yoga

Kriya Yoga was brought into the west in the late 19th century by Lahiri Mahasaya, as taught by the immortal Babaji in the Himalayas.  The story of Kriya Yoga is described in Paramahansa Yogananda's "Autobiography of a Yogi".  Without going into the details of the technique, the theory is that through life on earth rotating round the sun annually, there is a gradual lifting of the consciousness of each person over many lifetimes.  The Hindu teaching is that without negative affects of Karma delaying progress (which includes disease and repurcussions from bad deeds against others), it takes 1 million years to reach enlightenment!  The Kriya technique speeds up the natural cycle of rotation round the sun, which is said to have an action on the nerve currents in the spine.  Each Kriya is said to be equivalent to one years evolution.  When a student is first taught Kriya, they begin by doing 12 to 14 kriyas morning and night, and gradually increase to 108 Kriyas morning and night.  Hence each day they are reducing their period to enlightenment by 216 years!   Even with faithful daily practice, enlightenment is still many years away for most of us.  However, the technique is said to be a "scientific" path to enlightenment.

The Kriya techniques were known to the Siddhas, ancient Yogi masters who dwelt in the Himalayas. The Siddha techniques, including Kriya and Tantra, work to purify the body and expand the consciousness.

Self Inquiry and Advaita

Advaita is one of the classical Hindu philosophies, non-dualistic in nature. It was the philosophy expounded by the highly respected Sankaracharya of the 8th century, and is the philosophy of self-inquiry taught by the Ramana Maharshi and Nisargardatta. The method of self-inquiry is very simple, but also extremely difficult! The Advaita path does not require devotion or blind belief in any God or guru. It is a personal path, but one increasingly finding favour amongst ex-devotees who have been hurt or betrayed by a supposed Master or Guru.

 

© In the Light, 18 March, 2011 , Disclaimer, Son of Suckerfish drop-downs from HTML dog