The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali | Prof. Edwin Bryant

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali | Prof. Edwin Bryant

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In commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Abhedananda, Prof. Edwin Bryant speaks on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. His book on this topic is available at:  http://a.co/d/eJM56Cd

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0:01

[Music]

0:09

this year we're observing the hundred and fiftieth birth anniversary of swami

0:14

baden under a direct disciple and the third spiritual leader of this Center

0:20

the Swami came to New York at the specific request of Swami Vivekananda in

0:25

August 1897 and for the next twenty three years very successfully expounded

0:33

on Vedanta and Hindu thought and culture throughout the united states until his

0:39

return to India in 1921 in commemoration

0:45

of this hundred and fiftieth anniversary we're holding the swami Obeid ananda

0:50

lecture series in religion and philosophy this morning we are honoured

0:56

to welcome as the fourth speaker in this series professor Edwin Bryant professor

1:02

of religions of India at Rutgers University professor Bryant received his

1:09

PhD in the Indic languages and cultures from Columbia University and taught

1:16

Hinduism at Harvard University for three years he has published eight books and

1:22

authored a number of articles on Vedic history yoga and the Krishna tradition

1:28

his highly regarded translation of and commentary on the Yoga Sutras of

1:34

Patanjali have been followed by his most recent work entitled bhakti yoga tales

1:41

and teachings from the Bhagavata Purana in addition to his academic course load

1:48

professor Bryant currently teaches workshops on the Yoga Sutras bhagavad-gita and Hindu philosophy at

1:56

yoga studios and teacher training courses throughout the country at the

2:01

end of his talk he will open it up for a Q&A when you you can ask questions so

2:08

it's a great pleasure to be here in this very August place a very special place

2:13

actually in terms of the transplantation of Hinduism to America

2:22

perhaps the most venerable site right it is not is this not the first they done

2:27

to a center so it has a whole history and and we see that a little bit

2:35

reflected here the way it's set up with the organ and a little bit like a Protestant church because bearing in

2:42

mind 100 years ago you know now Hinduism is cool right people have tattoos of Ganesh on their back and but a hundred

2:50

years ago as someone like Swami ji who was really a communicator it wasn't a

2:57

Patanjali and yogi sitting in a cage in the cave chitta vritti nirodha Inge so

3:03

his intention was to spread the the teachings of Hinduism and gives some

3:09

dignity actually to Hinduism and so we had to find ways of creating a space

3:16

where which which as much as possible resonated with existing Western culture

3:21

so and so therefore the organ music and I've been to the center in in Boston

3:27

which is much more like a church actually a pews so to you know sort of to create a sense that which of course

3:35

the teachings of Advaita Vedanta which is that they know that there is a truth that underpins all religions and just

3:41

kind of stress that a little bit by minimizing the cultural differences even in in terms of the the space so I hope

3:49

you keep it that way because it's really a reflection of a very important moment in in in historical time in terms of

3:56

Hinduism's Journey to the West so so I'm I'm here to speak a little bit

4:03

about the Patanjali yoga sutras that's what happens when you write a book you get associated with that book and then

4:11

invited to speak on the book so yoga

4:18

sutras is one of a number of Sutra texts that emerge from the late apologetic

4:27

period so we have Upanishads which is which are the kind of oldest

4:33

texts where we find philosophical the beginnings of philosophical discourse the beginnings of spirituality the

4:39

earlier texts are more ritualistic texts the earlier Imams attacks but they're

4:45

not systematized they're not systematic texts they're poetic expressions you get

4:53

a sense of practitioners in the forests

4:58

engaging in practice coming out of meditative States and saying something

5:04

right and trying to express their experiences through metaphors different

5:13

Rishi's are they're expressing different sorts of things in some places Brockman

5:21

is depicted as a personal being in other places in Upanishad impersonal being in

5:26

some places the Punishers seem to suggest that the world is an illusion in

5:31

other places it's real and some places Atman is somehow merges into brockman

5:36

right the tat farmers see the famous verses other places seem to suggest a distinction and as a result of that non

5:44

systematic nature of the Upanishads in the in the later Panasonic period

you get this sense that there is a need amongst Indian intellectuals to

systematize the ancient teachings now maybe because of the threat of Buddhism

6:05

that's challenging certain long-held Vedanta views on the nation or the notion of the Atman

6:11

maybe it's the sense of the Kali Yuga if you read the beginning of the Puranas

6:16

many of the Puranas start off by saying it's the Kali Yuga and the effects of this age are detrimental to the

6:23

preservation of knowledge knowledge is getting lost and all may be falling into

6:29

the wrong hands and can be misrepresented so you get this sense to sort of preserve fossilized and

6:34

systematize which I think is reflected in the whole Sutra genre of writing so

6:41

at this point you get a number of Sutra texts that are written

6:46

vedanta-sutra of course the Vedanta society is obviously anchored in the

6:54

vedanta-sutra saying the same thing say butter iana comes along a sage called

7:00

called butter Reiner comes along and tries to systematize these heterogeneous

7:07

teachings of the Upanishads tries to codify them put them in a systematic format of course does that work the

7:18

sutras are so cryptic they're so incomprehensible that you can't actually read sutras so then you have to have

7:25

read the commentaries on the sutras and of course then you read the commentaries and then pretty soon you have major

7:31

divergent divergences in the commentarial tradition ongoing so at the

7:40

same time you have in the Upanishads you have a few references to this thing called yoga not very many there's a

7:47

passage in the shredder Vitara there's a passage in the kata a few lines here and

7:53

there referring to this thing called yoga and so mostly the Upanishads are

8:03

are presenting in from descriptive they're describing they're saying there

8:08

is this thing called Brahman and that an ottoman and that we are at man we are broke man in some sort of way but

8:14

there's not that much of a discussion in the Upanishads about a fine

8:19

so we're but men wear bra c'mon well what do we do about that all right let's say we accept that information what do

8:26

we do just the fact that we know okay I'm at man fine I'll sign off on that

8:31

I'll subscribe to that now what money lightens right so what's the next step

8:37

so so in the Upanishads you get these early a few references to this thing

8:44

called yoga which at which is actually a practice by which one can but

8:52

experienced attained that thing which is being described in the Upanishads experience Atman

8:58

and when Brockman but not just a few verses me Yogi's described the sitting

9:06

you know as living in a cave next to a body of water and he has to create a

9:16

seat not too high not too low just a few references here and there so so just as

9:24

sage by Dharana is in intellectual intellectual yogi we can say there's no

9:31

we have no reason and the great intellectuals of ancient india or often serious practitioners they weren't just

9:38

intellectuals so just as Barbarino writes the vedanta-sutra to try to give

9:43

some consistency to the disparate teachings of the Upanishads another sage

9:49

called Patanjali emerges at some point and of course scholars tried to date to

9:56

date these personalities and we don't need to get involved in that as always differences of opinion how you date

10:04

someone like Patanjali so someone called Patanjali comes along and he writes a

10:09

the yoga Sutra well and you know establishes right in the beginning

10:15

utter yoga no sharanam that he is going to now continue on oh shah sonim can't

10:21

in you the teachings of yoga which as I say I mentioned in the Upanishads

10:27

mentioned in the Mahabharata epic we feel oh if you read the Mahabharata when the Pandavas are exiled to the forest

10:34

the 12-year years in the forest so scattered through the forest you see these characters these these proto

10:41

Yogi's with the dreadlocks right in there they are not obviously the protagonists of the story but they're

10:46

there and they're always associated the term yoga is always associated with intense austerity tapas with some some

10:55

form of dianna some form of concentrative exercise and frequently

11:00

ours that with this intense control of the mind comes power so the Yogi's are

11:06

often scary slightly scary characters especially say you actually

11:12

you know Paul of the great asuras the great Arthur as avenge in India how did

11:20

they get their palace you know Ravana and here Anya Cassie poo they did eka pada hasta sana they did

11:27

these incredible yogic feats and concentrated their minds and and as a

11:32

result of that it aimed their cities their powers so that's that's actually

11:38

if you that's actually probably why Patanjali in the yoga Sutra he has a whole of third chapter on mystic powers

11:44

and then he says but these are of no interest to real Yogi's but why does he say that I spend a lot of core of the

11:50

text talking about mystic powers and then just say well they're of no interest or because they were characters

11:55

in ancient India that were doing something they look very much like yoga from the outside engaging in intense

12:03

tapas concentrating their minds and they had no interest in in the real goal of yoga which we'll discuss in a minute

12:08

as a matter of fact they weren't even benevolent some of them they were malevolent beings they were they were

12:13

acerous so therefore as a matter of fact Patanjali in the fourth chapter the

12:21

first verse he says these cities these cities you can't you can get them from Samadhi but then he says it's for other

12:27

ways you can get them you can get them from mantra you can get them from old shity some kind of plants right they

12:34

like that on the lower Eastside this but it's the only verse they they

12:40

remember remember so hi professor prime what's the OL shitty enough chapter 4

12:45

and you can get it from tapas you can get these cities from from tapas so so

12:53

they're these practices are there we see the most in the Ramayana also when Rama

12:59

is in the forest in the background the Yogi's are there he ran a scouted so sort of common denominator of them all

13:06

is ascetics ASC ascetics performing intensive forms of austerity involving some kind of pranayama some kind of breath control and some kind of odd and odd jana will mind control and and some of the sex talk about five limbs of yoga or other text talk about you know Buddhists talk about eight harden Oz so there's all these different

13:35

schemas of yoga floating about in the pre pattern Chalian yogic world which is

13:45

mostly a forest situated one so along comes Patanjali and for whatever reasons takes it upon himself to systematize all

13:53

this put it once and for all into a nice clear systematic format which would be

14:01

preserved now whether that's because of this idea that Kali Yuga is you know as

14:06

I mentioned that Kali Yuga is sort of ravishing the old knowledge systems also people's memories are declining prior

14:13

right writing is considered a sign of degeneracy we think of it as a big sort of milestone in human civilization right

14:20

invention of you know fire the wheel writing these are big sort of signposts of we're progressing but in ancient

14:26

India was a sign of decline because you you were supposed to memorize these things not so therefore writing is a

14:33

prop it's a prop for a weak mind I personally met in South India a brahmana

14:41

who knew the entire 100 thousand verses Mahabharata by heart and solidly you

14:47

could give him one line not even the first line third line try to catch him out give him the third line boom you give it a whole whole verse so this

14:54

wasn't it's not him this is not a myth the and not just in India other indo-european cultures as well this sort

15:01

of this men oral recitation so whether

15:07

it's because the sense that the memories declining Kali Yuga is is making itself

15:13

felt and in knowledge systems need to be preserved fossilized once you put it in

15:18

a sutra that's it you may have all different commentaries for centuries and

15:23

still producing commentaries we know we have a new I mean Ryan is a you know ten years ago now we have the salmon Orion

15:30

commentary in the vedanta-sutra it's an ongoing these are ongoing traditions and new not just so not just a rendition of

15:37

the old commentary the surah me Narayan tradition is a new commentary braced based on the Siddhanta on the

15:42

philosophical viewpoint of swami narayan so it's not just a recycling of old commentaries which mine is is just a

15:49

recycling of all commentaries but so this these are ongoing additions these

15:54

are living traditions Dante is a living tradition so as Yoga you can say that as well I mean after all you know guru ji

16:00

anger has a commentary on the Yoga Sutras which is you know introducing

16:05

many things that you don't find in the traditional commentaries so you could either say well that's not legitimate

16:11

it's not you know part of the tradition or you could say this is a sign that the tradition is living and adapting and

16:17

engaging with its environment which it always has there's always differences between commentaries think of the

16:23

difference between Shankar's commentary and mudfest so for whatever reason

16:28

whether it's the sense that kali yuga is you know that is the age the the

16:38

detrimental effects of kali yuga requires that the brahmanas can no

16:43

longer assume that memory the knowledge is going to be preserved by memory number one and number two you know

16:49

thomas you know that there's more thomas in the kali yuga so maybe there is more

16:55

a risk of knowledge knowledge systems being abused

17:00

whatever the reason okay and we get some sense of that if you read the opening

17:05

verses of some of the Puranas the sense of the sort of fear of the Kali Yuga or whether it's the threat of Buddhism

17:11

that's coming along and saying well you know there's no art one isn't there is no Rupa Avastin which Patanjali is going

17:18

to define the goal of yoga as being that the seer abides in its own nature the

17:25

Buddhism is going to say there is no own nature no no swarupa everything is interdependent everything is momentary

17:31

nothing lasts for more of them so these are these are serious challenges to the

17:36

Vedanta the pedantic point of view so for whatever reason scholars would say

17:43

around the third century we won't have to occupy us and we will leave dating to the scholars we don't have to we're more

17:51

interested in the con tenth of the sutras rather than academic

17:56

scholarship typically is more interested in context and his historicity the so

18:03

that's what really one of the main differences between an academic study of a tradition and a practitioner study is

18:11

the practitioners typically and while we can't generalize too much is more interested in content and academia is

18:17

more interested in the context you know what were the formative influences well

18:22

what is the political milieu what is the you know what are the agendas right

18:27

postmodern modernism what are the agendas people writing this and Brahmins trying to control everybody what what's

18:33

going on so in a place like this I assume in we're more interested in

18:39

content so someone calls Patanjali we know nothing about him much later on we

18:47

have a verse composed about him that surfaces in the commentary of a King King Bulger King I think Mel wah I can't

18:55

remember the date maybe 11th century or ninth century I remember who composed

19:02

the verse that is recited now nyunga Studios right yogi Nietzsche Tosca pas de Navarre Tom mallams sharira search of

19:10

Adi Cana you uppercu wrote Tom Provera moon enum but Anjali - Anjali Anatole

19:16

Smith so that it potentially gets associated with three things it gets associated yogi Nietzsche Tasha for the

19:22

mind yoga yoga natasha pas de Navarre chum with grammar and is a fact that

19:28

there is a grammar written on the famous great panini grammar greatest grammar of all time ever I'm this amazing over 4000

19:37

verse grabber by panini well someone called Patanjali writes a commentary on that now is it the same is it the same

19:45

Patanjali obviously that's the kind of thing that scholars are gonna quibble about we don't need to concern ourselves with that the verse also said he brought

19:52

something for Ayurveda we don't have any text that surfaced under the name of Patanjali not that it could be something

19:59

now sitting in some temple basement the text says three things

20:05

so we have this centuries later we have this verse and I don't think Bo garage

20:13

composes it I think he's quoting it so it pre-existed Boccia Raj

20:19

so we have this so in terms of the historical Patanjali we know very little there's the point and then in that that

20:25

verse the second verse associates Patanjali with Vishnu in the form of

20:30

shisha our baahubali shocker I'm Shana chakra Setar enum Sahasra sheersha Shui

20:37

thumb so the I said by that time then it seems that but Patanjali has been

20:43

associated with shisha the chaser is the

20:48

visionary clients of the when it creates the universes reclining on shisha so

20:55

other than that we know nothing about Patanjali so again we'll leave that the

21:02

historians and he writes this very short little text it's tiny it's 198 sutras

21:10

average length of a sutras six words so if you put that all together it's like

21:15

two pages of 12 you know double spaced 12 fun right if you had an assignment at

21:21

Rutgers two pages to all font that's a freebie right so it's a tiny tiny little

21:28

little text but it's extraordinarily profound and and of course the when you

21:41

create a Sutra the the idea is to make it minimalistic a succinct as possible

21:47

because you have to memorize them so before you memorize any suture you have to know know Sanskrit and to know

21:54

Sanskrit you have to know Ponte need to know pollinators but over 4,000 sutras that's before you get out of bed in the

21:59

morning if your little Brahmin boy in the Guru Kula right before you do anything you have to know sunscreen as

22:05

four thousand sutras so when it comes to Patanjali class that's a breeze two hundred one hundred ninety-eight so

22:13

they have to be the definition of a Sutra is well literally we know it means

22:18

thread a Sutra is a threat but the characteristic of a Sutra is minimalism

22:24

and so you have that witty saying that a

22:29

Sutra Cara takes greater pleasure if you sir if you save one phoneme one syllable

22:37

then a birth of a child so that's how strict that's the standard so that's why

22:48

Sutra Cara's would never never married nobody what it's a married of never wrong attitude for a family life so very

22:57

very minimalistic now the price of that is that you cannot understand the sutra

23:04

they don't a sutra worse worst of all I mean you have Vedanta set I think in the

23:09

whole of Patanjali is only two verbs in 100 198 sutras vedanta-sutra is even

23:16

worse we have sutras like and then this and then what we're how so the

23:23

vedanta-sutra is even worse him but but Patanjali is a few sutras you can understand it's not like the Gita you

23:29

can read the Gita I mean you know it pretty much anyone even knowing nothing about Hinduism you can read the Gita and

23:37

70% of it perhaps you can get a good sense of what's going on not with the Sutra so there are even words in even

23:46

within the sutras there's a word like vitarka that's used completely differently in two different chapters so

23:52

therefore you're dependent on the commentaries it cannot read a sutra by itself you would never to this day if

24:00

you see a translation of the yoga sutra with no commentary pay attention you'll see there's a bunch of words injected

24:06

into it that are not in the original if you translate a Sutra literally there's

24:11

no way you could construe meaning for mostly for most of them you have to read them with the commentary and traditionally they were always read and

24:17

so there's some time shortly after Patanjali someone the tradition says is

24:23

called sage Vyasa writes the Barcia first commentary now of course vyasa's

24:30

famous is probably very unlikely it's the same yeah we don't have to worry about that and so

24:37

where Patanjali has six words VRS will write 12 lines and he'll tell us what

24:44

the Sutra means you would never in traditional India study to this day

24:50

study the sutras without the Vyasa and then after that over the centuries you have other commentaries that build

24:58

on biast nobody messes with Yas nobody disagrees with the ass vyas becomes canonical he becomes almost a beacon

25:04

extension as a matter of fact there's even the position that that Patanjali is

25:10

vyas writing his own commentary I'm not sure I'm convinced by that but the point is there that they're so closely

25:15

connected you could never you can't separate the two you can't read the sutras without eos and vyasa's is

25:21

commentaries and canonical and after VR stained other sutra writers write their

25:27

comment terrorism what's what's the right word I know about refreshing but what's you know one thing about the yoga

25:37

Sutra commentarial tradition is that the commentaries all sort of agree with each other there's no major disagreements at

25:44

least on the basic metaphysics there's proof sure this property yoga is just a witty nirodh aha' still in the mind

25:50

there's no basic disagreements little later commentaries will add stuff maybe Vedanta sighs it a little bit but not to

25:57

the point of changing the metaphysics so therefore you can talk about a tradition

26:02

a tradition a yoga tradition you can't do that with Vedanta you can't talk

26:09

about up in fact people use the vedanta much too loosely and they tend to use it just for a greater Vedanta but

 in  Vedanta you have multiple traditions and they are they disagree on the most

26:21

fundamental of issues not just trivial little things the fundamental what is more fundamental and that is the world

26:27

real is it false is God personal is gard impersonal is the Atman one with broth

26:35

mana or is it is it individualized eternally there are no more fundamental

26:40

questions imaginable philosophically and we're done to disagree disagree on those

26:46

issues so you cannot we cannot talk about a Vedanta tradition if we if we have any

26:51

knowledge of Atlanta we have to talk about add weights of Vedanta or we should add weight to Vedanta and so forth you know bata bata

26:59

but we don't have that if you want to call it a problem we don't have that challenge as a nice word we don't have  that challenge with yoga because the commentaries build on previous commentaries so we can talk about a yoga

27:12

tradition that is handed down seems to

27:17

disappear at a certain point it's no longer a really living tradition it's it's fossilized as a text when the British go to India they cannot find any living yoga teachers yoga sutra teachers

27:31

the plenty of Nia Ania cos there's plenty of edom teens obviously they can find Vedic schools they can they can

27:37

maybe think of one or two sungkyu people still around but no living to in living tradition I

27:44

mean there's Brahmins who know that we can read the text with you but they're not part of a living tradition which is Sanskrit is who can tell you what it

27:50

means so when the British came it was no longer a living tradition had its heyday probably around the 15th century then it

27:57

seems to have for whatever reasons morphed into Vedanta or whatever Parana

28:04

the Puranas really take over yoga and and the issue for a planet on an element

28:09

becomes highly developed in the Puranas and even dine under sutter's what the

28:16

great Arya Samaj founder he couldn't find a teacher so it wasn't just a British it wasn't just the people didn't

28:21

want to teach the British Miletus not going to teach them Atlantis but even Dian under couldn't find a teacher so so

28:31

and then due to the quirks of Hindu nationalism and Hindu resurgence and as

28:38

a fabulous book on this by Marc singleton and various others and so you know now Yoga is so widespread it's

28:44

attracted a lot of academic attention then it gets plucked out of obscurity

28:50

almost by Krishnamacharya and to some extent in the great Shiva Nanda Arushi

28:56

cash and of course by Vivekananda and was by Vivekananda who writes Raja yoga

29:03

and because you know because well in

29:09

Krishnamacharya for whatever reasons in krishnamacharya is case of course in massive focus and asana on posture and

29:16

so that needs some kind of a justification you can't just invent stuff if you're a

29:22

traditional brahmin you can't just make stuff up you have to have a you have to

29:28

connect it with the old traditions if to find something in the Vedas or you punish at the Schmidty or the Sutra

29:33

although the Shruti or the Smitty you have to find something so for whatever reason the Yoga Sutras then because it

29:40

has three verses on our sauna gets plucked out of a period of decline and

29:47

and then as arsenic comes to the west the practice postural yoga comes to the

29:53

west along comes the Yoga Sutras as the canonical text so now in the West the

30:01

two canonical texts for I'm not talking about Hindu diaspora talking about

30:06

non-hindus Westerners who are whether they know it or not they're practicing

30:12

their sort of adopting forms of what we

30:18

would I suppose we call Hinduism the two texts that have become canonical for the

30:23

yoga community is the Yoga Sutras people are reading if you do a teacher training

30:28

course now you do 200 hours or whatever it is you have to do 20 hours of sutra

30:34

study so it's now become there's more people I always joke there's more people reading the Yoga Sutras and the Western

30:39

in India people don't read the Yoga Sutras in who leaves who reads our Yoga Sutras in India nobody you have to go

30:46

you maybe go to Varanasi you find some pundit in Sanskrit Department it'll read it with you but it you know so so due to

30:55

the quirks of time and Karma who knows what else here we are in the West and

31:02

the yoga Sutra now you go to many any Barnes and Nobles any bookstore and

31:07

you'll find multiple copies of the yoga sutras now become a canonical text of world spiritual

31:15

for whatever reasons we don't need to worry about that because it's a fun it's a fabulous text and and then and also

31:21

the Gita the kita of course with its emphasis on and Dharma or and action was

31:27

more of more interesting Hindu nationalists and the great figure heads of Gandhiji and Tillich and so forth and

31:34

Swamiji as well so the Gita then gets also becomes appropriated it also is a

31:40

it also was actually not quite it what not like the Yoga Sutras which became obscured but even the Gita was a

31:46

Scholastic text it was studied by living under tradition it was plucked able to

31:51

at some point it's taken out the Mahabharata who knows when but certainly by Shankar's time it's been taken out of

31:56

the Mahabharata and it's one of the pressure on a Trier of Vedanta we done to Sutra poly shots and Nikita are now

32:04

become canonical for Vedanta but Vedanta is an elite activity in pre-modern times

32:11

you have to be a male brahmana to study Vedanta so so even the Gita was kind of

32:18

an elite text until it became popularized and so forth in in in the

32:25

sort of national in the 19th century and 20th century and then exported to the West and then so these texts have their

32:32

histories and of course scholars are interested in that but as practitioners

32:37

we're less interested in how things came to be where they are because religion

32:43

and spirituality is never static so it's flowing so it's cross fertilizing there's no pristine Vedic

32:50

anything you read the Rig Veda it's got nothing to do with modern-day Hinduism

32:56

Rig Veda at hymns to Indra and Agni so things are always religion is always

33:03

flowing and adjusting and according to time and place so here we are in the

33:09

West in New York City 21st century and our two canonical texts that that I are

33:15

most visible in terms of what represents Hinduism in the West to Westerners the

33:22

two texts that have come to define it's not the Bhagavata Purana it's not the Vishnu Purana or the ship

33:27

the arguments of the Tantra cos of course there's communities right Mactan under brought Siddha yoga I mean as

33:33

expressions of it but that's not not on a popular level and a popular level the texts that have come to represent

33:38

Hinduism in to Westerners to non-hindus the is our the bhagavad-gita and the

33:44

Yoga Sutras if you want to be a sort of educated citizen of the world then you have at least have had read the Gita at least and if your practice practitioner of of yoga which of course this thing

33:55

called would people call yoga and you know you with any degree of

34:01

sophistication you at least you'll have a copy of the Yoga Sutras on your bookshelf but it's there it's there so

34:10

these are the two tanks and so I've been invited to to speak to you on the Yoga

34:15

Sutras but time is up well this is all chitta vritti I gave you all my chitta vritti we didn't get to the so loop of a

34:22

sternum so Patanjali then kicks off

34:28

utter yoga a new sha sanam that he's going to a new Shasta and continue the teachings he's not claiming to invent

34:35

anything a new means to continue doing something so at a yoke utter now okay

34:41

and then then you have these whole discussions what is now mean right what does it mean just like a total brahma

34:47

jijnasa what is up now mean the city now we have the human form now we can practice yoga and because we have now

34:54

this capability of seeking spirituality which animals don't have so it is utter mean now in that sort of way that we're

35:02

now we shouldn't waste a human form of life with just behaving like animals in

35:08

the sense of just seeking sensual indulgences and shelter and food and

35:14

progeny where animals do that so this utter mean now we're the humans we have that we're different in that in only in

35:21

that way otherwise how are we different humans can seek truth they can seek higher truth otherwise we pada Pashu the

35:29

text say would you like it animals then if you don't we don't seek truth attitude science or philosophy or

35:34

theology in some sort of way so this utter mean that or to such a mean as and and here you

35:40

the commentators and the commentators can say anything they want provided it

35:45

doesn't interfere with the Siddhanta of that school so you can interpret words

35:51

and add meaning and contribute meanings provided to what your contribution does not conflict with the the Siddhanta it's

36:00

called in sanskrit which means the philosophical conditions of that school

36:06

it's in Advaita Vedanta there's a Siddhanta right the world is false ultimately Atman and Brockman of one and

36:13

provided you so but you can add any any sort of exegesis or any kind of explanation you want as long as it stays

36:19

within the the the metaphysical parameters of the your lineage so so

36:27

Arthur can also mean ok now we finish studying now what they see whether you

36:34

polish it ok so you know there's an Optima now what you're not enlightened just because you knew it so then maybe

36:41

now mean well now are you ready for practice are you ready to do something about realizing that Atman so utter one

36:49

word you know can take you if you study with a traditional pundit in India you

36:54

know you better leave your watch behind at home don't be looking at your watch

37:00

in sync but but but Swamiji we've been an hour it's just one word

37:06

so utter can also mean you know have you finished with the books now you've got

37:12

all the gana you need you want to keep a on of reaching you want to keep booty bitching don't just keep reading more and more and more and more and more and

37:18

then what we're gonna die then what then what are you gonna do them auntie Kali at the moment of death just keep thinking about what and you're dying

37:26

what's the point of that so Arthur can also mean now you now you've done all of

37:32

that put your money on a horse whatever your horse is gonna be whatever makes

37:38

more sense to your son's gaara's you think that weight of it on to makes more sense of issues deadweight who's making

37:44

that decision it's not the Atman it's the some scholars in your mind that who knows come from past life practices

37:50

come from whatever grace Ishwara divert you can frame in anywhere you

37:56

want but certain something your son Sora's are going to resonate with okay it way to Vedanta or somebody else is

38:02

gonna say no hang on Maya we can admire it and they're going to resonate with registered waiter so whatever it is put

38:11

your money on a horse and okay utter now you've done that yoga - awesome

38:17

now maybe are you ready to engage in yoga so for Patanjali that yoga and and and

38:25

yoga is defined very differently in the Gita by the way very differently Patanjali definition is yogas chitta

38:31

vritti nirodh aha' the yoga is the nirodh aha' the stilling which means can

38:38

and everything to complete an utter stilling of all chitta vritti all of all

38:44

chitter the mind writ is all expressions of thought all permutations of thought completely stilled normal study not born

38:52

at that point when you're doing the meditation all of that you should that that's your groundwork you should have done that like your arson I should have

38:58

done that you do your arsenal you do it so now you're ready you sit you're

39:03

sitting right you've done your guiana done your study now okay you have you whatever your student is and now you're gonna fix your mind and that's what yoga

39:10

is Yoga it's chitta vritti nirodh aha' it's stealing it's a radical proposition completely nutley stealing the mind tada

39:21

then what happens to dark Kimbo Bertie tada then what happens rush to Swarup a

39:27

of astana then literally there is the situatedness of the seer of

39:35

consciousness sois Rupa in its word rupee in its own nature verse number

39:42

four pretty sorry come interact otherwise pretty sorry of is absorbed in the mind so yoga then so right there you

39:49

have the whole metaphysics of yoga first of all it's dualistic there is consciousness and there's

39:55

everything else this property is the mind which is property okay and

40:02

consciousness then has two options either it can be so loop of us

40:08

I'm situated in its own nature or it is absorbed in other the world but through

40:14

the mind Britta's are Verity sarupya it's absorbed in the mind and then through

40:19

the mind and through the senses it's absorbed externally and Patanjali yoga

40:26

Sutra then and then Patanjali Yoga for Patanjali then is to but to attain a

40:34

state whereby consciousness can be absorbed in its own nature rather than

40:39

absorbed in anything else 

now why a yogi would want to have that experience is

40:44

discussed in in chapter 2 because when consciousness is externalized and and

40:50

flows through the body mind and attempts to seek happiness in the world of sense

40:55

objects through the desires of the imprints of the mind it suffers so

41:01

ultimately the ultimate goal of yoga is to transcend suffering the key to even defines that is Geeta has three  different definitions of yoga and one is just to transcend suffering ayah same thing I a suit that I other school to

41:13

transcend suffering so ultimately the whole point of it is why we should we

41:19

want to practice yoga because it's the only way of sort of of not of stop of

41:26

stopping suffering and a deep level not on a surface level all the service level

41:32

ways indulging the mind and senses they're temporary the fleeting and they don't fulfill in a deep level sort of

41:37

way so therefore so therefore Yoga is you know people say well you know

how's  that relevant to the real world it's yoga would see itself as being the

41:48

profoundly relevant and the only thing that's truly permanently relevant

41:55

insofar as it takes people to a state of deep level state of consciousness

42:01

swarupa which of course Vedanta is going to say is such a down on design on this

42:06

blissful that that's ultimately happiness and everything else is illusory and you know if we had more

42:13

time of course we could discuss that so therefore your what is yoga so what is

42:19

Yoga Yoga is chitta vritti nirodha her it's of the minds tada what happens then what

42:26

happens if you still the mind is at the end is that like existential death or something no tada rush to swarupa vast

42:33

annum then the seer abides in its own nature so therefore the nature the real nature of the sea is not the mind it's

42:40

different from the mind now whether the mind is real or false that that's a discussion for Vedanta so and but what does it matter because experientially it's the same if you attain whether the world is real or

42:57

false and whether the Atman is an individual or one with Brockman is a

43:03

Scholastic issue because when you're in that state it's an infinite eternal State and you're not aware of anything

43:09

else so what does it matter whether there is something else or there isn't number one and whether you're an individual and other individuals may be

43:15

having the same experience or whether there's no other individuals it's just sort of a madam Kalu Brockman what does

43:21

it matter in that state it's an infinite eternal State so therefore it's really a the issue

43:27

becomes important for the the theists for the theists the big debates between

43:34

the Vedanta you know the vitamins I don't care okay why should others would say okay you want to whether you're you

43:41

know want to merge into Brock Mont do it world is false fine I such does that mean it's false town but don't try to

43:48

tell the version of us that issuers also Miya Miya be made of maya that's what

43:54

they're gonna fight you with that's where the line in the sand is drawn the rest isn't important but if you try to

43:59

if you try to say then well if the world is false the Kreayshawn is false so they create or is also false then you're

44:06

going to be then you need to get ready roll up your sleeves for a 2000 year debate which will never end so that's

44:12

the line in the sand is fine if I should novice don't deny that you can have an

44:19

infinite eternal experience where you're not aware of anything else so whether

44:25

that there is anything else so there isn't is irrelevant whether there's anybody other individuals experiencing

44:31

that or not is irrelevant that's all fine but when you then say well but then each

44:36

fur is also Maya then then this

44:41

fireworks so then you read Roman who just the first verse of the vedanta-sutra 200 pages he gets it all

44:47

off his chest right but one one one ram anujan the twelve say no the he calls he calls

44:56

chancroid via the Maha Maha pull departure the great the great opposing

45:02

point of view anyway so Patanjali is not dealing with any of that he assumes that

45:10

we've spent a few lifetimes doing that and finally are exhausted with all forms

45:17

of Ricci because if even intellectual abilities at some point now exasperating

45:22

you know you reach Ankara in its brilliant and you eat ramen a tune it's brilliant and at some point you just

45:28

like okay and then Madhava comes along and he saw all the other thing another

45:34

brilliant brilliant intellectual radical so at some point that gets exhausting -

45:39

so then returns it says okay if you really want to have it do you want to just think about these things Ricci away

45:46

you know of course you have to do that in the second chapter tons is going to say Cydia studies is a fundamental part

45:54

of yoga but at some point one either puts the the whatever you know whatever

46:02

sit down to one subscribing to we're not one when at some point one has to practice and so Patanjali then has given

46:08

us the mode of practice which is vent tailored and tinkered in all different

46:14

traditions so the basic you know eight limb path of yoga the process of Dharan

46:21

Tatiana you know in bhakti it's there of course you fix the mind on on japa I mean patterns he talks about chopper he

46:28

fixed the mind on mantra that's the most common form of meditation in which has been and still is so you know the shy

46:36

the Kundalini you know traditions will tweak it with Kundalini physiology and

46:42

you know so everyone's got a tweak it this way in that way but the basic practice and early Buddhism to

46:48

was Deanna mindfulness is a different stream of buddhism and jainism

46:53

absolutely so if so if we're looking for some kind of common denominator tying together we have to be careful about

47:01

this when I want to centralize we get in trouble with the academics but if we're looking for some kind of a fairly common denominator amongst the spiritual deep spiritual traditions not the cultural traditions not just not the poojas and

47:15

and but the deep level practitioner traditions probably the closest you're going to find is Gianna some form of

47:21

sitting and fixing the mind and typically on a mantra so in fact there's

47:29

somebody I'm hoping ought to be doing a PhD dissertation on that challenging the

47:34

notion that there's no unity whatsoever to Hinduism and showing well actually

47:40

there are you know there's at least this one thing that's that's pretty much at the courts idealized not everyone's

47:45

doing it obviously maybe only not point not one percent but nonetheless it's idealized as this sort of grand finale

47:52

of many most of the different traditions

47:57

that go under the rubric of Hinduism oh are we going what much too long we've

48:03

written away here is it time to narrow to her it's time to chit vide nirodha 50

48:12

minutes so so that's it so the first full verse is there and that's basically the whole of yoga the rest is just

48:19

embellishment on that so three verses yogas chitta vritti nirodh aha' 

that Yoga is the stilling of the mind tada rush to Swarup a vast annum then the

48:32

seer but see another in eyeball sense but in consciousness then consciousness svarupa in its own nature so loop

48:39

Avastin i'm and this distinguishes then yoga from Buddhism tada - to Zerubbabel

48:47

sternum and if it's not doing that if consciousness is not so loopy of a sternum it's not situated in its own nature what's consciousness doing Ricci sorrow p.m. absorbed in the mind so the rest of everything else is just and

48:59

then unpacking that the rest of the first chapter is talks about the

49:04

different stages of chitta vritti nirodh aha' called samadhi and then chapter 2 is Kriya or what do you do about how do

49:10

you do it how do you actually get read prepare your mind so that it can actually be in a role to hurt if to make it sattvic if

49:18

it's rajasic and tamasic well you may understand what it's supposed to be but you admit you sit down your mind is not to check email so right now me I'm wrong

49:30

so and then the third chapter is this mystic power again in my opinion the

49:36

commentators don't say very much about this but I always used to think the third chapter when I wrote the book I

49:42

thought it was well Patanjali is put in these mystic powers because maybe these things happen inadvertently when you're

49:49

in deep states all of a sudden you start whatever levitating or something and of course you have it's the gospel of

49:57

ramakrishna if you want to read something about the expression of mystic

50:02

powers in a modern modern meaning you know modern not living but modern saint of paramahamsa you around the Krishna his gospel is full of accounts of mystic

50:15

of some of these cities so I used to think well potentially has this whole chair and then he dismisses them he says

50:22

they're only of interest with people whose minds are out going Donna not to those who whose minds are in going

50:28

trying to realize think so I put it in that and why you know it's like a quarter of the text and I used to think

50:34

it was just because he's warning us well it's weird things start happening don't be alarmed but now I think differently

50:41

it's too late put it in the book but now I think it's because there were many

50:47

characters in ancient India that were doing these kinds of practice intense

50:53

meted concentrative practices and they were not even and they were asuras in

51:00

the great tradition as a matter of fact when the British went to India the word yogi they called it jokey jokey the

51:06

British say was a dirty word villagers were scared you don't want the Jogi come into your village he might

51:13

you do my curse you so Joe keys are not you know I mean read the stories and the Puranas even the vashisht a great great

51:20

Brahmans you know you don't want to upset them that curse you so there's

51:26

this association of yoga which survived right into the colonial period with

51:33

power and scary kind of power so perhaps

51:38

that's now I think that may be the case why Patanjali has this whole chapter on

51:44

the cities because he wants to make it

51:49

clear that you you know you that's not what real Yogi's do they're not looking for power and they don't want to show

51:56

some cheap some cheap exhibition of some trivial powers and then the fourth

chapter is most is response to Buddhism because Buddhism is a polite response

52:10

it's a very gentlemanly response so we're not that the Vedanta tradition can get a little bit more polemical but the

52:16

yogurt response to Buddhism is very polite and its philosophical it's not it's not ad hominem so so that's the

52:26

fourth chapter so there you have it I don't know if you've read the Yoga Sutras but I you know so it's a fabulous

52:33

text it's it's a it and it will you know if you're interested in a in a meditative practice and never quite got

52:39

around to it or you know you need a little a little bit of a at a little bit of a kick to your practice you know

52:46

reading that the text really does I think if amazing insight into the nature of mind and consciousness and I suppose

52:53

it's it's the go-to book for also Hindu psychology how the mind works in

53:00

samskaras I found it profoundly profoundly affected my own practice when

53:06

I studied it so do we have any questions I'm sorry if I rambled on

=====

yes okay so yes sir

53:28

thank you for your nice presentation my name is Ranjit Mitra my question is that

53:35

you beautiful x-men many aspects of Hindu philosophy but is it a is it a

53:43

practice is it a philosophy is it a knowledge or intellect it is just

53:53

control of mind and action or action but what does the other dimension calling

53:58

that in a very in Indian traditions this mysticism what the grace of God comes in

54:05

where do we get it in the passenger shuttle or is it something some things sure there's not you know the Yoga

54:13

Sutras presupposes already presupposes knowledge it's not a knowledge text it's

54:18

not a gana text it presupposes knowledge of Sankhya as a matter of fact it comes

54:23

out of Sanka there was no difference between sunken yoga before the sutras when Vyasa writes his commentary says

54:30

this is a commentary on Sanka so it presupposes you already have knowledge so it's a practice text it's dedicated

54:39

to teaching us how to practice so he tells us Kayle right in the right in the beginning chitta vritti nirodha is what

54:44

you do chitta vritti nirodh and then he discusses the different states but not in a sense of knowledge mora signposts

54:51

to practice so the knowledge texts of the vedanta-sutra x' and Sankhya and the

54:57

knowledge traditions and the ayah and by Shekar those are knowledge traditions by

55:03

the time you get to yoga yoga is coming out of the knowledge traditions it's coming out of Sankhya it was also coming

55:09

out of the Upanishads but the Patanjali is the goal of it is not present a

55:14

metaphysics the goal is to present a practice how to practice in terms of

55:21

issue is there in the Yoga Sutras but very understated so but when if you're

55:28

going to fix the mind you have to fix it on something in the alum burner if you're going to nirodha her mind you

55:34

know you need to fix something if to fix it on something the mind is no different has to be fixed on something and so

55:41

Patanjali a list of things to fix it on but he starts off with issue and he has like five or six verses on issue so he's

55:46

clearly presenting that as the best option and how do you fix the mind on each for a while dusty of our chica

55:53

Pranava each becomes as Pronovias ohm well what do you know what do you do with that well touch upper tied jumper

56:00

do chopper of the arm so the issue is there in the form of chopper and then

56:05

later on in chapter you asked about grace later on in chapter 2 Patanjali says Samadhi Samadhi sit here each for a

56:14

prana down at each fur can give you Samadhi same as Krishna says in the Gita several times he says like it's very

56:20

easy it's easy I will give you I will give you I will give you so there is an itch for element there but it's very

56:25

understated so if you're looking for a Patanjali and practice which is with a

56:31

more richer each for a devotional element in many we have to go to the Puranas for yoga's the Karma Yoga the

56:44

fact teacher goes at hand you get the Raja Yoga so I think potentially is more like more like what you call Hannah yoga

56:51

or Raja yoga exactly like Karma Yoga he's not advising you to do reactive in

56:59

he's advising to do in action yes in the Gita Krishna talks about two paths yes

57:06

so he's very like a conflict it's just a different way Krishna says there were

57:12

two paths and one got lost the past of action in chapter 4 and Krishna says and

57:18

I'm coming back to establish the action path and you can Bach Dossey your you're my doctor so I'm teaching it to you but

57:25

the other path is the in action path which is a Patanjali and type of path where you you know if it's true that

57:33

you're the Atman move there and it's true that you're not the body mind then

57:38

why waste time flapping about in the world we go to the forest why the forest

57:45

because you want to go to a place where you won't be distracted alright in Christianity is the desert you go to the

57:51

desert but in Hinduism you go to the forest and a nirodh aha' the world pratyahara

57:56

would at the fifth level yoga prahara close out the world but that is but in Indian must have Indian philosophy

58:04

religious strategies they don't deny the world they said there are different

58:09

astronomers in a person's life like God has too so I do not know if it is

58:19

there's the idea it's a different option it's a different option krishna is to

58:26

saying about how to do yoga with the varnish rom and do your duty that's the teachings of bhagavad-gita

58:33

Patanjali is giving a different set of options they're both valid we don't have to have either or not from my Rutgers

58:45

students you know you guys getting up we've had your you had five years of questions you still got questions I

58:55

failed I failed in my Dharma professor

59:00

========

do you know these gentlemen 

=====

so as practitioners are striving

59:07

practitioners Dietetics is something that always comes up you know what is that diet like diet like what you wiii

59:13

iose all right so like vegetarian non-vegetarian veganism is quite popular these days so what do what would the

59:22

would the Yoga Sutras speak about this and actually Swami ji you have also

59:28

mentioned that you know sometimes that because strictness and Dietetics also

59:33

could become a hindrance and also you brought up a good point earlier that

59:39

sometimes that can someone who can

59:45

someone not be self-realized if they eat animals right like Swami probably you can had fish right so I'm not gonna

59:52

respond to that last part but clearly the or him so tradition is vegetarian

59:59

and that's that's in if you're asking about Patanjali and yoga tradition is clearly vegetarian so that's just a

1:00:06

given so in other words why would you depart from the dietary aspect of it if you're

1:00:13

really able to see the the Artman in all beings and you're able to see the suffering and all beings and you know

1:00:18

the chains are particularly powerful here and in the end they're saying don't can't you see the animals suffer can't

1:00:25

you see that just like you flee when your life is threatened they flee when their life is threatened very powerful

1:00:31

so the reason for our hips are is compassion you know in our modern day the reason for a vegetarian diet tends

1:00:38

to be selfish right the environment a health the economy right if we don't eat

1:00:44

you know if we don't feed cows we could all that green good we could solve world hunger so they tend to be in a sense

1:00:50

self selfish whereas the the arguments in ancient India were compassion based why would you call it if you're an

1:00:57

enlightened being and you see the Atman as Krishna says in the Gita right Vidya Vinaya sump'n a Brahmin a Govi has teeny

1:01:03

you see the Atman in all beings why on earth would you contribute to an activity that causes suffering so it's a

1:01:10

given that it's certainly in the yogic tradition that him--so means

1:01:16

vegetarianism now you'll find ways of wriggling out of that fine you'll find stories and the Puranas of chay you know

1:01:22

fish they ate meat and you know you'll find if you're looking if that's some scara's and your desires and your raga

1:01:29

you know I really need that you'll find some pramana you'll find some textual authority that will say oh well he did

1:01:36

it so if that's what you're looking for you'll find it but let's be clear that the are hints a tradition is a

1:01:42

vegetarian tradition and not just in in Hinduism but in Jainism and in early

1:01:50

Buddhism I would say although then that that's another story so so then can one

1:01:56

be a yogi and the other thing about meat apart from the compassion aspect from a

1:02:02

selfish point of view it creates Thomas in the mind it's dead it's rotting if you read the Bhagavad Gita talks about

1:02:08

sattvic food that's a good place to look so there are anything that's rotting is

1:02:13

Thomas ending it's dead and rotting so therefore when you eat me - dead meat is

1:02:18

dead I mean you buy in its in you know they pump it full of preservatives and color to make it not look dead but it's disgusting so if you

1:02:26

eat it it's rotting flesh all you're supposed to call it something else it's rotting flesh so if you eat that apart

1:02:34

from me let's see don't give a damn about the animal of compassion throw that out the window but meat has a Tama

1:02:41

a tamasa sizing effect it will create Thomas in the mind so even from the point selfish point of view I want to be

1:02:47

a practitioner I want to know from a Pathan Jolyon point of view I want in the road around my mind it's in a road or how the mind the mind has to be

1:02:53

completely sattvic 100% cyclic and so therefore any anything that's tamasic is

1:02:59

an is an obstacle is it classically is an obstacle to that goal so for that

1:03:05

reason as well meet both from the point of view of compassion and that's a higher reason but from a firmer sort of

1:03:13

also from the point of view of attaining the goal of chitta vritti nirodha of a Sharada you have to be full clarity you

1:03:19

can't be have meat in your system because that will produce Thomas thank

1:03:25

you tell me how you really feel right hi

================

my name is Namita gupta I had a question about how Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

1:03:38

relate to Christian mysticism there is a concept of dark night of the soul in

1:03:43

Christian mysticism I was wondering do the Patanjali sutras talk about ego

1:03:49

death and what would be your take is that any more unavoidable situation when

1:03:54

someone is going into Samadhi or not I mean it's been a very long time since I read Dartmouth but as I remember it the

1:04:03

idea there is that you go in the beginning of your practice you get results and you get in your enthusiastic

1:04:09

but then you go through this period where it seems like a stagnating and especially also in the bhakti traditions

1:04:16

and you feel like your initial enthusiasm and experiences all of a

1:04:21

sudden start to get less and it feels like you're making no progress at all and so then you go through this dark

1:04:28

night of the soul where you have doubts and then you have to go right back to the beginning and thinking okay why am I doing this and you know why did I start

1:04:34

this whole thing so that's my understanding of what that the dark night of the soul is and then you have

1:04:40

to go through that that period of where it doesn't seem if it seems like God is distance himself or herself and and and

1:04:48

you're struggling and getting nowhere and we have to go through that period and then eventually then success comes

1:04:54

but in terms of ego death of course the ego is a shemitah in Patanjali and that

1:04:59

is one of the glaciers the obstacles so you have to go you have to go past any

1:05:04

form of of ego which is yeah why double

1:05:12

ours everyone has to go through that process everyone has to go through the ego the ego is what is consciousness is

1:05:19

external ego means I am this body in mind alright so if we think with this body mind and consciousness is absorbed

1:05:25

in the body mind and therefore thinking I am this I am this body I'm male and white and I'm happy I'm sad that means

1:05:33

consciousness is externalized and pervading the coverings around it so if it's external eyes it's not solo favor

1:05:39

sternum it's not absorbed in us of nature so therefore any type of Patanjali in practice and you can look

1:05:45

for parallels in Christianity if you look in the gnostic traditions yes if

1:05:51

you have to go past ego ego is a false covering yes thank you Gary because the

1:05:56

Atman is the same in all beings thank you

1:06:07

==========

I'm very humbled to ask the question first of all I am a devotee of sri ramakrishna Haku and as as much as I

1:06:15

learned from him that he didn't teach me to lean towards mysticism he told me

1:06:23

that I learned that you float like a lotus and you will never drown then

1:06:29

Patanjali helps is a valid point to control external mind to internalize to

1:06:36

realize reality that reality to discover myself that Haku taught me and in that

1:06:43

case if not that blindly I accept that Haku is Tucker told the truth how to

1:06:49

know yourself what is reality and number two question follow that to me I learned

1:06:59

from cocoon that cocoon taught me to go about mysticism don't use Patanjali as

1:07:07

to acquire power to abuse power to gain power being a assure that I learned from

1:07:14

him number two that it's me okay

1:07:23

what's the second question second question in Dharma food that if I had

1:07:29

meat my existence that I exist in that case food is secondary because I cannot

1:07:37

eat anything you have to compassion trees when you cut the trees it seems that tree has life I should not eat

1:07:44

anything in this world then how can I add me I exist 

=====

sure you know the Jains would say you

1:07:51

minimize as much as possible violence so they Jaynes would not even eat any root

1:07:57

vegetables and then Vaishnava would say that okay there's always violence

1:08:03

there's always violence even if you cut of course when you take an apple you're

1:08:08

not killing the tree and you're taking the Apple at the time when if you didn't take it it would fall anyway so a lot of vegetables there's no violence but

1:08:15

there's some like the wheat that you're cutting so Vaishnav is with then you offer as you offer to Ishwara

1:08:22

with devotion and then any little residue of karma that is even in the

1:08:27

vegetarian diet by the offering with with bhakti bhakti then that gets removed and it goes back to the old me

1:08:35

mumps you know the old Manu you know the minimum says where you have to you know the the householders they have the four

1:08:41

kinds of anyway doesn't matter but that's one that's one thing that's one thing we can do is we offer the asthma

1:08:47

shot only river I have to eat fish

1:08:53

because I don't have a choice well not according to Patanjali wouldn't

1:08:58

accept that no he would say jati Dasia carla samaya on of each in Naha there

1:09:04

are no snare and there's no exceptions based on your jaw to your family they

1:09:09

show your country geography where you're living collar the time and semi condition under

1:09:14

which an aha Mahavira tom it's the great vowel so Patanjali would not accept that

1:09:21

you should eat fish if there's water and fish then there's water there's vegetation if it's vegetation then

1:09:27

plants are growing the plants are growing will stick some seeds in and eat vegetables thank you so much don't you

1:09:40

still owe me a paper you owe me a paper young man not you so my question was

1:09:50

that oh my name is Neil the question was

1:09:55

is in in the practice of meditation is there a difference between mindfulness

1:10:02

and the meditation of the Yoga Sutras yes and then just one more question

1:10:08

the the witness that like that has talked about in Buddhist meditation is

1:10:14

there a difference between the witness consciousness and then this year so

1:10:19

Patanjali that would be yeah so in in in Buddhism they were two early Buddhism is

1:10:26

Gianna you know chitta vritti nirodha practices and and there are differences of opinion among

1:10:32

scholars as to where them how far back mindfulness goes because I've read some scholars it goes way back early days and

1:10:38

others saying it's more recent it doesn't matter mindfulness you don't Nero to her mind you're not stealing the

1:10:44

mind yo you're allowing it to do whatever it wants and you're just witnessing it and by witnessing it you

1:10:50

see how foolish and fickle and silly it is and that in itself just the power of

1:10:55

observation makes the foolishness evaporate a little bit you know so mindfulness is there's no attempt to

1:11:01

still the mind now in terms of the witnessing consciousness I know you'd

1:11:07

have to you know you know because of course Buddhism doesn't accept that there's an admin underpinning everything

1:11:12

although they they to accept consciousness it's a consciousness is momentary interdependent but anyway that

1:11:19

witness would be the Buddha in sunken not the art money I'm and it's not doing anything it's just conscious so to

1:11:26

witness that actual witness of the mind is the body it's the higher mind and so

1:11:32

you have in in you know the Upanishads you know the the the charioteer is the

1:11:38

body and the mind is the reins but the Atman that is just a passenger is not doing anything so it's providing

1:11:45

consciousness but not is there's no cerebral activity or processing all of

1:11:51

that body so the higher awareness is body and and

1:11:58

of course your any chitta vritti nirodha is body because who's near ordering the

1:12:03

mind it's not the Atman who's nero during the mind it's pudding if you want

1:12:11

to use a patanjali calls it the nirodha samskaara but what's the nirodha some scar it's booty so different traditions

1:12:16

may use different phraseology but that's going on in the hats the higher mind so

1:12:22

any type of yoga practice we have to it's not going on in the Atman it's going on in the mind the mind is

1:12:27

eliminating itself actually in yoga the mind is realizing it that it is the cause of suffering that it is an

1:12:35

impostor and through Yan or it can know that to gain or it realizes its own external nature so then it decides and

1:12:42

and that it is the cause of suffering with its desires and illusion so essentially the mind is neuro during

1:12:48

itself it sounds bizarre but that's what's happening right so when we say the seer is abiding in its own nature that's what we're saying yeah when the

1:12:54

seer bison is no it's not aware of the mind the minute you're witnessing your mind you are externalized consciousness

1:13:01

is external in svarupa vaster nam is no awareness of the mind it's for Rupa it's

1:13:06

for its own Rupa of astana I'm situated in itself is no awareness of the mind you're not being mindful that's that's

1:13:15

earlier stages but of course we can't skip those stages but ultimately that

1:13:21

state of pure consciousness is just its content less there's no content so

1:13:27

that's near guna it's near guna sarva via pakka it's infinite it's all

1:13:33

pervading potentially and Vedanta will say it's Ananda otherwise who is gonna

1:13:39

do it if you don't throw in an under if you just say such it where it is and

1:13:44

it's conscious all right you know who's gonna sign off on that you know go to the forest for 50 years just for sat and

1:13:51

I'll Beach son right here thank you very much so you have to throw in at someone under there otherwise who

1:13:58

would seek it so yeah so consciousness

1:14:04

and Atman the same thing yes in other words if we try to find the seer the

1:14:09

best translation with Rashtra because that's the term that's used Rashtra and drish sure is but pure consciousness and

1:14:17

it gets confusing because you often consciousness is used in Western philosophy to mean consciousness of

1:14:23

something so it helps if you add pure consciousness and by pure we mean not mix with anything else not mixed with an

1:14:29

object if there's an object and consciousness becomes conscious of the object is now mixing with the objects

1:14:34

and that's aware of it so if you use the word pure it means it's not like pure milk it's not mixed with anything it's just pure milk so so it's so better to

1:14:46

say pure consciousness to be very clear about how there's no word in in Western

1:14:51

language because there's no there's no history of that notion and maybe in some

1:14:57

mystical traditions but even then no player history of of that you know so

1:15:03

there's no real vocabulary so then we have to sort of then we have to create terms like pure consciousness so then in

1:15:10

that case you know and which is the by the which is near be just Samadhi are some pregnant a Samadhi

1:15:16

Cavalia within the suit resist at svarupa vast unarmed these four phrases

1:15:23

are all synonymous in the Yoga Sutras so in that case consciousness is not a byproduct of the brain no it's not

1:15:32

an epiphenomenon of the brain in other words it is not a neuron Yoga would say

1:15:38

you will never find the neurological correlate of consciousness and you and

1:15:43

right now the neurological model of consciousness is dominant in is dominant and you study neurology no no but the

1:15:53

neurological model of consciousness is dominant and there and that's the Holy Grail you have to find this sort of the

1:15:58

neuron or the combination of neuron or the material brain conditions which you can demonstrate repeat event and repeat

1:16:05

that this is the origin of consciousness Yoga will say keep going so we'll check back in fit we'll check back in we'll

1:16:11

check back in 50 years if I could just

1:16:18

say okay go on Swamiji and I make one other point no this is a very good way

1:16:23

of a segue into what I wanted to ask right now the hard problem of

1:16:30

consciousness is a big thing in not only the philosophy of mind but in AI in

1:16:37

neuroscience show David Chalmers is right here in NYU whose proposed it the as you just in fact you initiated the

1:16:45

discussion right now very beautifully saying that the dominant dogma is that somehow consciousness must be an

1:16:51

epiphenomena a product of the biochemical processes in the brain and what David Chalmers and others have said

1:16:58

is that the purely subjective nature of experience qualia that can in principle

1:17:05

it cannot be explained by something objective like the brain no matter how complex you make it yeah at this point

1:17:11

the question is the Sankhya yoga and advaita and maybe in some sense the yogacara madam Acharya

1:17:19

idea of swap Prakash a chaitanya consciousness which is self affiliate do

1:17:25

you think it can control do what would your reaction be to the whole problem at this stage and what can Sankhya yoga and

1:17:31

advaitha contribute to the discussion on the heart well what the Indian the Sankar and Vedanta traditions can

1:17:39

contribute is the proposal that Allah which is called substance dualism in

1:17:44

Western philosophy substance dualism in which often associated with Descartes

1:17:50

but but but later forms that consciousness is not in any way material

1:17:55

yes and that therefore the course of you know philosophers religion can debate

1:18:01

this but philosophers of religion know that you can't that there's problems with both arguments but but their

1:18:06

problems I'm reading an article right now by a materialist philosophy religion who's saying I'm a materialist I don't

1:18:12

accept it's a separate substance but I need to acknowledge in honesty that there's no good arguments being brought forth to disprove that whew so now so

1:18:21

that's for the philosophers of religion now in terms of science I think nya has

1:18:27

something to say here because Nia says okay identify it then if it's a material thing now I uses inference if it's a

1:18:35

material thing well where is it produce it and therefore say that they didn't talk about neurons they talked about what their understanding of the self

1:18:41

they say where is kinda in the leg is in the now and then by process of elimination when you realize that it cannot be found in any material

1:18:47

substance then you make an inference that it must be something other so I think science can get to that point they

1:18:54

can't start talking about Atman and Krishna with his flute in a peacock feather that's not science but they can

1:19:01

get to the point maybe 10 years 15 20 years when when they fail to find the

1:19:06

neurological correlate of consciousness that then they'll be forced to concede then it must be something other that's

1:19:13

as far as you can go with science it must be something other at that point then the not the you know then the

1:19:18

mystical traditions of India step in with their problem we've been saying this all along for two thousand years

1:19:24

and here's what we have to say but science has to run its first David trauma rail it's got to fail

1:19:29

to find those neurologic or neurological correlates and if it finds them you know

1:19:34

we're in trouble my friends that's what I say we are open to the truth show us

1:19:41

and you're convinced yes and I'm going to say goodbye to all religion and spirituality yes except maybe maybe a

1:19:47

pragmatic use might remain over but I can't see on principle how the disappearance objective the qualia

1:19:54

nature the first question is what philosophers religion will say right it's a quality that even by philosophy

1:20:00

right quality colleges have to be grounded in substances there's no substances that can account for the quality the quality or the quality of

1:20:06

consciousness so we just need to let that run its course and we'll keep

1:20:11

chanting our mantras yes thank you very well this is our contribution absent at the end of the day then people then you

1:20:18

know having gone through that well then maybe look at these spiritual traditions

1:20:23

with fresh eyes but right now there's there's a materialistic dogma it's like a faith actually it's a faith it's

1:20:29

effective it's not based on any evidence so there's an actual faith which some

1:20:34

people call the new you know scientism scientism yeah right one more point

1:20:40

related to this the distinction between consciousness and mind when you apply the draft and regime in a Sankhya in

1:20:48

yoga and in adwaita yeah in fact in all just about every indian philosophy they make a very clear distinction between

1:20:55

Atman and yes yeah this is not clear in modern consciousness studies they keep

1:21:01

swinging back and show in consciousness aligned and it is another contribution because the better the country when

1:21:07

people want a critique Descartes yes they say he cannot account for how because he says mind is is spiritual

1:21:14

yeah so they say he cannot account for how a spiritual thing can influence a material thing but sunk here and yoga

1:21:21

and everybody except the AIA Wow and now I would say it's a quality of the Atman yeah but the Vedanta Sankhya yoga would

1:21:27

say mind is material so that that avoids that particular problem Descartes as

1:21:33

that that is associated with substance dualism which tends to get connected to a Descartes because Sankey says no mind

1:21:39

is material Masek and effect matter right so therefore that eliminates that particular problem not saying there's

1:21:45

not other problems leading to a consciousness matter duality yes so then I mean so therefore consciousness is not

1:21:51

doing anything it's not a it's not affecting anything it's just animating

1:21:56

everything right it's a different proposal Sankhya yoga stopped at a substance dualism

1:22:01

yes but Advaita yes I think the closest term I found to it investing in modern

1:22:07

philosophy is a neutral monism that you have one substance they don't have to

1:22:12

call it spiritual or material because it's underlies both the spiritual and so-called spiritual and material well

1:22:18

wouldn't you just call it idealism that's what you try to call it but idealism the way idealism is understood

1:22:24

in the general trend in idealism is that everything is reduced to the mind yeah but when you make a distinction based on

1:22:30

- no correlate why do you look for correlate right why do we look for correlates why can't we just establish

1:22:37

why do we have to frame Eastern tradition in Western categories they're not do they don't do that no they don't

1:22:42

do they're not framing their Western categories and Indian terms right so let's let's hold our hold our turf and

1:22:49

say you need if you want to talk to us you need to learn a few Sanskrit terms man no and because there is no correlate

1:22:55

right I I agree entirely but because the term substance dualism is brought up I thought maybe a easier way to eat for

1:23:03

them to use into this idea you know neutral monism I don't know neutral monism I just found it recently I mean

1:23:09

it's I mean the problem with that is nobody nobody knows where that is I mean it's not even Western philosophers so

1:23:15

you know no matter you're better off with the Sun Square you dry it right all right it's very important encouraging

1:23:20

any other questions yes sir

1:23:33

hi hi my name is Rodrigo and I was just recently reading that Veda Vyasa is a

1:23:44

title there is not an actual person that have been many better Vyasa

1:23:50

would you mind to elaborate on that I don't have anything to say it's possible certainly you know I mean the tradition

1:23:59

says he was a person yeah and that he's an unction in the Bhagavata Purana says Veda Vyasa is an

1:24:05

unction tirana he's a real person so tradition has said that but it's true

1:24:10

like for example if you sit to give it a talk in some ashrams it's called a Vyasa

1:24:16

son the arson or Avia's so it also it's true has the status of a title so you

1:24:23

could you could take it that way if you wanted Veda Vyasa but but that doesn't mean that the

1:24:30

tradition is not saying he wasn't a historical person no no I didn't mean that so I if I don't recall bad I think that

1:24:38

where I was reading it it said that the cooler and better biasa was somebody

1:24:44

that went by the name of Krishna and vapor Jana do I pay enough for a pioneer but that

1:24:50

is Veda Vyasa that's better look Veda Vyasa is a function Veda is

1:24:55

the Veda Vyasa means to Vyasa to separate Sofi also means to divide the

1:25:00

divider so the the one who divided the Veda the Veda the one who V asks at the

1:25:05

Veda is Veda Vyasa so that was his function but his name is Krishna / Anna

1:25:14

so the tradition I mean you know if you accept this any historical value at all

1:25:20

to the tradition he was a person now maybe later on the term gets used as a title I die I don't know okay

1:25:28

I haven't seen it used I mean if it is it's not used a big word to see as a title no but it could be used I wouldn't

1:25:33

deny that yes thank you

1:25:41

hi my name is San Johnny T so my question is on the historicity of Bengali here we open go all the Indian

1:25:50

gentleman Bengali no okay sorry no

1:25:55

problem yeah so my question is the historicity of the traditions so can you mentioned that with the during the 18th century

1:26:01

the colonial British beard and also the door an uncertainty they didn't find an authentic yoga teacher of the traditions

1:26:08

yes I recently came across to this not a tradition which is very common in the

1:26:13

eastern part of Bengal Assam Nepal and they claim that they are neither Advaitic nor theistic and they are the

1:26:20

trooper scepters and preservers of the yoga tradition which is very popular in

1:26:25

later karate influenced the Bajoran a Tibetan Buddhism as well so the Moche

1:26:31

narada and gorakshanath so what's what's your point of that listen very living tradition till - sure there's a lot of

1:26:37

great work coming out of so as in London there was a scholar there whose name is

1:26:44

Jim Allison Allison Malay Melissa James

1:26:51

malison he's got a a very nice grant and then he's accessing all of the nightly

1:26:57

the Tantra the naphtha the hotter texts although I don't know how far back they

1:27:03

go and I would at this point resist the idea that yoga comes out of the not a

1:27:08

tradition certainly it's it's absorbed into the nods of tradition but yeah the Natas are not at weight in that they are

1:27:14

at weight in but in a different sort of way there's different types of it waiter there at waiter in the sense of the art

1:27:19

man becomes one with the supreme but the world is real for them it's not Maya

1:27:25

it's not a super imposition its Chitti Shakti its pulsating spun - is it Shakti

1:27:32

so therefore there are there monists of a different type so they so there are theologians like I'll be never good to

1:27:38

rejected weight of it out or at least they counter at way to Vedanta so then after that they're not are they

1:27:45

whether you want to call it Tantra car or hata these cluster of traditions very strong

1:27:50

in as you say in Bengal and Assam and the Himalayas and effects Tibetan

1:27:55

Buddhism those traditions the world is real is real so in that sense it's different from Advaita Vedanta yes but

1:28:02

you said part of the yoga tradition right it will it's an expression of the yoga tradition I mean Yoga is more yogas

1:28:08

chitta vritti nirodha so that can get absorbed into so many different ways in

1:28:13

Vaishnavism where bhagavan is real not you know what there's a surprise Vikon

1:28:19

today's Saguna brockman this condensed consciousness that has nama and rupa they also use a chitta vritti nirodha

1:28:26

practice so the chitta vritti nirodha is a practice it can be used in Jainism it can be used in Buddhism it can be used

1:28:31

in in not and not can be used in Vaishnavism it could be used in advaita vedanta

1:28:37

although most advaita vedanta is more focused on guiana rather than any action

1:28:42

that can bring it about his action is ultimately unreal so the fate of a donor but there's no reason why you couldn't use chitta vritti nirodh aha' practice

1:28:49

in hardcore equator so it's a practice you could use it in Christianity with

1:29:03

the Mataji up ie yes so I Adam my name

1:29:14

is super annoyed how could the string

1:29:21

theory it goes to explain consciousness this gentleman behind you

1:29:28

you know I am afraid I'm not an expert I'm trying to come up I'm trying to read

1:29:34

more about it next semester I'm teaching a course called science and religion yes yeah but I don't know what enough right

1:29:42

now but my friend Raghava behind you he get him afterwards and giving me nope

1:29:49

I'm a chai and then he'll tell you everything about spring a string theory but anyway there is somebody called a

1:29:55

miracle ultimate Goswami who I believe is written a couple of books so he'd be in a much better

1:30:01

position you know I think his books will probably deal with that amita kosai Sami my name is Babu Bangaru

1:30:11

have two questions one is you alluded to this earlier what is the essence

1:30:17

essential difference in the metaphysics of Buddhism and Hinduism what's the difference between Nirvana and the the

1:30:26

tradition of moksha as it is talked about by Patanjali specifically because

1:30:36

when we say Hinduism remember there's many different I understanding she is okay so moksha is different you know in

1:30:42

it way to Vedanta at least in terms of other scholastics presented and again as

1:30:48

many schools of Buddhism it's the same thing you have you know we've already centuries and centuries and centuries ago we had 18 different schools of

1:30:55

Buddhism but one but one difference is that from the point of view look at verse number three Patanjali what

1:31:01

happens when you chitta vritti nirodha tada then then what happens brush to slow rupee of a sternum the sea

1:31:09

consciousness abides in its own nature autonomous independent self-contained

1:31:16

it's essential it has its essence and it can remain in its own essence separated

1:31:22

from everything else and that essence never changes such it's always in a continuous state Buddhism as of the

1:31:30

Philosopher's doesn't accept a that consciousness can be so Rupa vast

1:31:37

situated in its own nature consciousness is always interdependent with objects so

1:31:42

the one that perhaps the most important word in Mahayana Nagarjuna majolica Buddhism is interdependence

1:31:50

pratityasamutpada so therefore consciousness can never be swarupa vaster nam

1:31:55

it always is interdependent number one number two it's not such it's not

1:32:02

continuous eternally it's not being in an in an ever-changing way it is

1:32:08

momentary Shaniqua it lasted Sharna and then followed by another moment another

1:32:14

moment not a moment so therefore that's the metaphysics all difference now turns in nirvana

1:32:20

Buddhists don't talk about some state beyond like you know broth man or

1:32:25

vaikunta for the valleys for Nagarjuna he would say samsara is Nirvana nirvana

1:32:30

is samsara it's just an enlightened way of being in the world of being part of

1:32:36

the flow of your particular we call it a flow of your particularly persona that

1:32:43

momentary interdependent flow remains in reality doesn't go anywhere but in an

1:32:50

enlightened sort of way it's very hard to get a good response to what is Nirvana from from Buddhism because it's

1:32:59

it's just a tricky thing but but those at least metaphysically those are two differences the consciousness is

1:33:04

momentary for for all each Indian schools it's eternal not momentary

1:33:10

number one and number two the other schools Jainism included it can be a big adjustment it can be absorbed in its own

1:33:16

true nature which is in essence Buddhism there is no essence because if

1:33:23

everything's momentary where's the essence essence is something that remains so there is no essence it's momentary and interdependent it doesn't

1:33:30

exist on its own it's always existing and into like indras net if you think of a fishing net you know if you think of

1:33:36

it the knot of a net then knot doesn't exist by itself it's actually a mixture of this string and this string and this

1:33:41

string this string its interdependent its it doesn't have an essential nature of its own it's an interdependent its

1:33:48

interdependent on four things feeding into its the good analogy indras net so

1:33:53

that would be a difference but what would for the scholars for the Scholastic's but what would then be Nirvana that's an

1:34:00

enlightened way of being in this interdependent momentary full of things

1:34:07

you're not clinging on to the idea of an individual the very thing that Patanjali is proposing that you seek this

1:34:14

autonomous individual Buddhist would say that's that very thing that the Yogi's seek is the cause of samsara

1:34:21

so it's night and day the very thing that the Yogi's claim is the goal of

1:34:26

life the Buddhist would say that clinging on to the idea that is an autonomous individual is that's the cause of

1:34:34

samsara so that's why Patanjali has to spend a section of chapter 4 responding to that see the crux of the problem as

1:34:43

we discussed today and as all along is the consciousness its consciousness I

1:34:49

mean a consciousness in the Hindu god spirit yeah you know and of course some Hindu traditions would say there's also

1:34:54

each row but but they have to debate that also with Jains and my monsters but yes but is consciousness a as a student

1:35:01

of biology or as we all know it it's easy to understand evolution of life and

1:35:07

therefore the illusion of life force by natural selection where does the consciousness fit in our oblem that

1:35:15

modern Hindus have to figure that out ok this is one of the challenges of maternity that because there no

1:35:21

Darwinism in the Puranas or the epics so this is a challenge as it has been for Christian theologians because the

1:35:28

Christian theologian is the same thing you know that God made the forms how did the forms come to be before Darwin one

1:35:34

of the arguments for God was how do you explain the existence of forms so Darwin not that one off plates legs

1:35:41

well the Puranas say Rome are created the forms hmm Brahma with the long a and it's a

1:35:48

problem because karma it's not that you start off with a single-cell organism and end up as a human if the karma

1:35:55

theory requires you start as a human because the human makes karma ants and bugs and single-celled molecules don't

1:36:02

make karma so a karma akarma but model Buddhist a Hindu and Jain the

1:36:07

traditionally pre Darwin proposed that there has to be at some point a human

1:36:13

birth now how do you get around it well you might there's all kinds of ways you could talk about other universes but you

1:36:20

have to work at it you have to get on your thinking hat and think how are you going to sponsored and just like Christian theologians had to do so it

1:36:26

essentially remains a subjective experience rather than there's no objective evidence of the postulate of

1:36:34

all pervading all expanding consciousness right I mean at the end of

1:36:41

the day but now we're changing so not bracketing Darwin at the end of the day pramana

1:36:48

right how do we know something okay so we know it but Vedanta is gonna say okay

1:36:54

we know it because the new punish let's talk about it but even Shankar will say that ultimately has to be experienced

1:37:00

until you experience it you don't know it and that's where Patanjali makes his

1:37:06

magnificent contribution that's what I'm sorry Patanjali makes his unique contribution because the Vedanta is about knowledge

1:37:13

it's about Keanu it's about systematizing Upanishads about saying well really it's all about Brockman and this is you know the prana is really

1:37:19

brought man and the Akash is so it's really knowledge the other Sutra tradition it's Patanjali says uh Turkey

1:37:25

done all that that's not that's not gonna you won't know it that way Yoga no Shar sanam chitta vritti nirodha so then

1:37:31

it's oh it's about experience and it makes it experiential which makes it in the sense scientific no scientific in a

1:37:38

you know in a modern sense but it makes it it makes it something that based on

1:37:43

experience that was not much at all so it so that's why it's powerful I think that's why it's very appealing also in

1:37:48

the West the very word experience suppose this experience or yes so

1:37:57

experience therefore the directional in the Drishti Shakti to use Patanjali

1:38:02

language there's a trash truck there's the C R so that the power of

1:38:07

seeing can either see Buddhist would say well Nagarjuna would say if you have a

1:38:12

seer who's seeing well you have to have a scene you can't take out the scene it's meaningless to say the seer is

1:38:19

seeing while seeing what it must be a scene so that's why I'll go Jun is gonna Monica's gonna say it's interdependent

1:38:26

with this object Yogi's are gonna say well you know that may make logical sense if you frame it that way but the

1:38:32

seer can see but but that seeing doesn't have to have an external object it can spawn Rupa it can be seeing its own

1:38:40

nature so so that's experiential yes so the end of the day the Yogi's can say if

1:38:47

you want proof of this if you want pramana then do it and that's kind of

1:38:56

there's not much you can say to that is there we gonna answer that one thank you

1:39:03

very much professor Bryant that was a wonderful talk and a very exciting Q&A

1:39:10

session I'm particularly glad because this is actually the culminating talk in

1:39:16

a series we started earlier this year the Swami Abaddon and the lectures in philosophy and religion we have had

1:39:23

professor John SATA model from Union seminary the Union Theological Seminary coming and speaking here professor

1:39:31

Janardan Granieri a professor Jack Stratton holly swami Chitina Angie gave

1:39:38

a talk in the series and now we have professor Bryant my first introduction

1:39:44

to him was through this book he's too modest to mention it and he speaks sort of self-deprecating Lee about it but

1:39:51

this is a fantastic work I thoroughly recommend it you see what he has

1:39:56

mentioned is the Yoga Sutras have commentaries we i remember bently the

1:40:03

novices in bel-air but when we read the Patanjali yoga sutras we read it with biasa basha which he has mentioned but

1:40:10

there are other commentaries also there is the commentary of Magana bhikshu there's the poverty which he also

1:40:16

mentioned now the problem with these commentaries is they are little abstruse

1:40:23

and other distant from us by a thousand years or more than that and when you

1:40:29

translate them even even if you translate them into English it still remains very difficult to use for a

1:40:34

practitioner what he has done is the beauty of this book is that he has used

1:40:39

all those commentaries and then in very lucid presentation he has taken the

1:40:45

important points which are very useful for clarifying concept and putting into practice so you have the benefit of the

1:40:53

original Yoga Sutras a simple explanation of the Yoga Sutras and a commentarial tradition going back I

1:40:59

don't know more than 2,000 years the benefit of all of that in a concentrated form so I cannot you know I cannot

1:41:08

praise it too highly because this is really really wonderful it's a possibly the best book not possibly I'll

1:41:14

drop the possibly it is the best book the best textbook on the Patanjali Yoga Sutras in the market the Yoga Sutras of

1:41:25

Patanjali and you just search with his name nowadays it's very easy Amazon Prime right here one day you have

1:41:31

to wait two days at the most so very soon we'll have drones coming with this book and dropping it off at

1:41:37

your doorstep Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Edwin F Bryant another reason why I'm

1:41:45

very happy about today's talk and having professor Bryant here speaking about the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is Swami

1:41:51

Vivekananda who founded the Vedanta Society of New York and all after all

1:41:57

this is the first one of all the Vedanta societies it's older than balloon mutt itself

1:42:03

his first work and maybe the best-known work is his own commentary on the Yoga

1:42:10

Sutras of Patanjali this called Raja

1:42:16

yoga so this book was published from the Vedanta Society of New York in fact he

1:42:22

had more or less completed all his writing by 1895 it was the first book I remember someone like JD Salinger

1:42:29

writing about it fifty years later he's writing that these two are classics

1:42:35

these two little classics Raja yoga and karma yoga I think our American youth

1:42:41

should carry them around in their pockets JD Salinger's writing that so

1:42:47

Swamiji's work is a work of spiritual genius it's a standalone work this is a

1:42:53

textbook which you can use to you know learn the entire tradition the other

1:42:59

thing I wanted to say was professor Bryant is not just a professor he's a sadhaka he's a spiritual

1:43:06

practitioner so I'm saying things which he will never say himself in public but he's a spiritual practitioner I know by

1:43:11

that's that's important for this audience specially to know that and he

1:43:16

is not a dry Gani he's not a introverted

1:43:22

yogi actually it might surprise you - no he's actually a bhakta if you look

1:43:27

at the list of his books half of his books are about Krishna literally if you counted half the books are about Krishna

1:43:34

that's professor Brian the beautiful discussion here and so many questions

1:43:40

which keep coming up in our classes here even the question about string theory at

1:43:45

first it seems off-center but actually

1:43:50

one of the most brilliant researchers right now ed Witten in Princeton and

1:43:57

Institute of Advanced Studies I found a little clip on YouTube where ed Witten

1:44:03

is asked about consciousness and he says that I think consciousness will always

1:44:09

remain a mystery from a scientific point of view he says it will always remain a mystery we will certainly know learn

1:44:16

more and more about the workings of the brain in the years ahead but why these

1:44:23

workings should be associated with something like consciousness I don't think physics can explain he says that

1:44:30

actually and the interviewer you'll see it's funny interview doesn't get it at all he the next question is so you

1:44:37

wanted to him in a mystery he says no I what I say is that physics for physics it will remain a mystery and then he

1:44:43

goes on to ask so do you think beauty produces consciousness he's completely off track the interviewer

1:44:48

ed Witten gets the that gets the whole question about the first-person experience the subjective nature of

1:44:54

consciousness the hard problem of consciousness and so on thank you very much for joining us

1:44:59

thank you to Professor brand for making time you don't know how busy is we were

1:45:05

trying to schedule this talk much earlier but it's easy to understand because all the yoga studios they want

1:45:12

somebody like Professor Brian to come in and talk about the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali so the talk in Bahamas in the

1:45:19

sea Shiva in the yoga ashram right so in many places and it's very difficult to get a date from him but we managed it

1:45:26

and he is here with us today and we are very very thankful to him though he did get wet in the process coming from Penn

1:45:32

Station I thought he would take the subway from Penn Station to here but he walked all the way from Penn Station

1:45:38

you're an English man yes it's it's all matter yes thank you very much and do

1:45:47

join us for Prashad downstairs thank you [Applause]

1:45:54

[Music]

====

406 Comments

@MariaAsadova

@MariaAsadova

3 years ago

What a great mind - Professor Bryant! So much knowledge and experience on the subject. Thanks for sharing this talk!

79

Reply

2 replies

@eriknorberg6154

@eriknorberg6154

1 year ago

For me this was the most interesting talk about religion so far. I am not an expert in any way about sanskrit and all the terms that so many people know and are aware of, but I was able to follow the discussion between the audience and the professor, who I felt was totally free of something that you might call an academic proudness... I found him very humble and a extraordinary sympathetic person. I feel very happy about that this video turned up in my computer! When I listened to the video I associated to a video I saw several years ago about a discussion between some Nobel laureates (most of them) and also some who were scientists within fields of modern science, which for long have not seemed to be accepted as science by most scientists. One of those persons was Rupert Sheldrake, which I think argued for things which probably could be established science according to Indian old scriptures. The Nobel laureates were very condescending against Rupert Sheldrake's theories on telepathic 'phenomenon' and so on, and at that moment I felt so frustrated due to the lack or willingness to even consider that there might be a possibility for things which can't be proved in the strict academic way, and which I think is very arrogant. Thank you very much for this video! ❤🙏

8

Reply

@bradleyclough3156

@bradleyclough3156

10 months ago

Edwin! Always so knowledgeable, clear, brilliant—not to mention funny! Thank you for this great session 🙏!

4

Reply

@praveenrai6965

@praveenrai6965

5 years ago

Brilliant, Professor Bryant! I was impressed when he told Swami ji not to look for "correlates" in Western categories for ontological/epistemic categories the Eastern wisdom has articulated. That is something I look for in Indian debaters who engage with Western-trained minds. Why should there be any inferiority complex on the part of Indian traditional scholars who study Dharmic knowledge systems, to find correlates in the Western knowledge systems (WKS) or modern science. Remember, Dharmic civilization developed and systematized incredibly diverse spiritual traditions and the WKS & the modern science are infants from that perspective. In fact, if science is indeed free of dogma and seeking truths with open mind, esp, in this highly complex field of consciousness studies, then scientists & experts in NS  need a little humility and look for correlates in Dharmic systems & adhyatmic traditions/wisdom.

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6 replies

@FiguraMolenMedia

@FiguraMolenMedia

1 year ago

His talk is full of insights. 🙏🙏🙏

5

Reply

@cyprescrow

@cyprescrow

4 years ago

What a profound fine lecture, and such clear answers to the questions after. Amazing what quantity and quality of knowledge Prof. Bryant holds.

33

Reply

@ajoychou2

@ajoychou2

5 years ago

Profound and lucidly explained. Thank you Edwin and thanks Vedanta NY.

35

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@sdbaral7721

@sdbaral7721

5 years ago

Fine lecture with meticulous understanding of Patanjali's yoga sutra. I fully appreciated his critical stance against usual overzealous translation of the Indian concepts into some acceptable  Western ideas that originally have no container frames...thanks.

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Reply

@paulmattingly3856

@paulmattingly3856

3 years ago

Oh my golly. I'm an older layperson and found this talk to be so informative and exciting.  Thank you!!

9

Reply

@arunkumarchikkop

@arunkumarchikkop

3 years ago

One of the most brilliant explanation of the Yoga Sutras ever !! Asatoma jotir gamaya.. (may this lead me from darkness to light)

5

Reply

@synchromystique

@synchromystique

4 years ago

Amazing talk i'm reallyy happy to know about his book and commentary on yoga sutras! gratitude and blessings! OM

8

Reply

@hemantamaity3777

@hemantamaity3777

4 years ago

This is the profound expression of the uniqueness of yoga from an academician. I loved your talk.

31

Reply

@softiceable

@softiceable

2 years ago

Legends have it that he is still adjusting that mic.

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Reply

6 replies

@sisimontez

@sisimontez

1 year ago

Brilliant! A serious topic shared with sense of humor. Thank you so much Professor.

3

Reply

@athulasamarasekera661

@athulasamarasekera661

2 months ago (edited)

Swami Sarvapiyananda in this ordiance !

I identified his voice!🙏

Hats of to this presentation ! 

Supra,Supra,indeed!✌️👑

Reply

@urmillamaharaj4206

@urmillamaharaj4206

2 years ago

Mind blowing indeed. Thank you professor ji for that in-depth explanation of Yoga sutras

2

Reply

@nikm7859

@nikm7859

3 years ago (edited)

1:01:00..Believe me diet is & plays huge role in mind control, & following ashtang yog

Saatvik diet=more controlled calm mind ^ vice versa

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Reply

@lowercasehill5351

@lowercasehill5351

3 years ago

i'm currently taking his 8 week course, through Embodied Philosophy. Much can be found (& downloaded for free) on his website. I've studied with him in person over the years. I agree with Joe Bowman (below comment) One of the most intelligent people i've ever listened to. Prof. Bryant brings passion, joy and the light of understanding to complex history and yoga philosophy. A brilliant communicator, with great devotion to the tradition and the teachers who've gone before (& after).

4

Reply

@panchanadamathmaraman3894

@panchanadamathmaraman3894

1 year ago

Blessed to hear such lectures. So rich in content and extremely good Q&A.

3

Reply

1 reply

@gat3010

@gat3010

3 months ago

Good start to my path to siddhi powers. I need support from other dimensions.

Reply

@teclote

3 years ago

Wow, wonderful presentation, thank you.

5

Reply

@jeremymolt148

1 year ago

I love this guy !!!

2

Reply

@ZeusMcKraken

3 years ago

This is deadass one of the most intelligent people I have ever listened to.

13

Reply

3 replies

@rakeshasrani4037

5 years ago

Brilliant talk by Prof. Thank you Vedanta NY Centre

3

Reply

@charumohan

@charumohan

3 months ago

Brilliance and modesty all the same.

Reply

@AxViki

@AxViki

2 years ago

Deep gratitude for gurus of past, present and future.

1

Reply

@venk7526

@venk7526

3 years ago

Amazing explanation, thank you professor Edwin Bryant.

2

Reply

@kennethshaw6811

@kennethshaw6811

4 years ago

This is wonderful! Thank you!

4

Reply

@sarasvatishaktiscripts3998

@sarasvatishaktiscripts3998

1 year ago

🍃राधे कृष्णा🌸

🌼भक्ति🍃

🍃thank you🍃

1

Reply

@amiraarora5002

@amiraarora5002

1 year ago

Koti koti Pranam 🙏

Reply

@ToobMee

@ToobMee

2 years ago

Prof Bryant talk  was very inspiring and informative. I would definitely get his book to understand more on Patanjali's Yoga sutras'

3

Reply

@Dasha0369

@Dasha0369

4 years ago

Beautiful mind....now tap the ❤️....within.... A timeless bliss...completion of silence.....devotion....compassion

2

Reply

@dontforgetyoga

@dontforgetyoga

10 months ago

Great illumination of the Yoga Sutras and their context in Hinduism and western yoga. I have been a fan of his commentary on the Sutras for a long time, such a great exploration for yoga teachers. I found this lecture as I am creating a podcast episode around the historical context of the Yoga Sutras, and having recently learned about their fall into obscurity before the British colonialism and subsequent translation of the text into English. Some good insight into that here. I had some citta vrttis arise with his constant fidgeting with the microphone and the sounds that it created, so I hope he will see this video and be more conscious of that in the future! Otherwise, I am happy to see he is as brilliant in lecture as his writing. Thanks Mr. Bryant!

Reply

@mukulgoswami1749

@mukulgoswami1749

2 years ago

Well done Professor. Pranam.

Lets spread the knowledge to whole world. Everyone try to impart the knowledge to others and bring them up...

1

Reply

@stevenjfrisch

@stevenjfrisch

4 years ago

It's obvious that Prof. Bryant is a practitioner since his understanding and explanations are so clear and well organised!  Only a practitioner would be able to do this since they would have some experience and also the deep interest and passion to really learn - as opposed to someone that was merely a scholar.

7

Reply

2 replies

@SB-iz8sz

@SB-iz8sz

4 years ago (edited)

Thank you for your explanation

🙏

3

Reply

@aanandamyogashala9970

@aanandamyogashala9970

4 years ago (edited)

Thank you prof. Bryant and NY team 🙏

1

Reply

@umamoon5585

@umamoon5585

2 years ago

thank you so much for having proffesor Bryant

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@beingfrank40

@beingfrank40

3 months ago

Love Professor Bryant!

Reply

@solmma

@solmma

3 years ago

So greatful for this video!

1

Reply

@tonmoyacharjee2491

@tonmoyacharjee2491

4 years ago

Profound explanation, thank you

4

Reply

@BaldevChauhanSpace

@BaldevChauhanSpace

5 years ago

Excellent Talk. In the academic world nobody knows the Yoga Sutras better than Prof Edwin F Bryant. Happy to know that he is also a sadhaka and a bhakta.

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Reply

7 replies

@geetgovind1423

@geetgovind1423

3 years ago

Today sb introduce me to Edwin... He is a blessed soul a rishi in American body

12

Reply

@urbansadhu426

@urbansadhu426

2 years ago

Yoga is not philosophy it's the science of human Conciousness

2

Reply

@srinivasraju5788

@srinivasraju5788

3 years ago

Thanks to everyone 🙏

3

Reply

@victoriahangula382

@victoriahangula382

2 years ago

This presentation is very educational about the origin of yoga sutras and the influences it has on the human beings internally as well   as externally .Our generation is fortunate to have teachers that are pointing out our true nature that faided away along evolution.  Keep up the good work of awakening the soul.Thank you.

Reply

@Bisoncalf2

@Bisoncalf2

5 years ago

Thank you so much. 

That was very refreshing to begin the day with...

2

Reply

@codewalters

@codewalters

3 years ago

Loved this talk . I was always curious of the context  of Patanjali Sutras. Thanks for sharing.

Reply

@thecenterofinter-religious4220

@thecenterofinter-religious4220

1 year ago

Thank you for a learned lecture well reflecting the lively facets of an actual practitioner

Reply

@brittanyfox5831

@brittanyfox5831

2 years ago

Profound. So glad I found this.

Reply

@benyaminblatt8616

@benyaminblatt8616

3 years ago

Extraordinarily brilliant,  and erudite.

Reply

@rednosereddotenjoyempower3577

@rednosereddotenjoyempower3577

1 year ago (edited)

Thank you

for analyzing

and giving a

 clear information

🤓💯👌🙏

🎊👋👍💯

Hari Om

Reply

@awakeningtohigherconciousn8336

@awakeningtohigherconciousn8336

1 year ago

Thanks for the explanation. Thanks for sharing. 😌

Reply

@thewitchskitchen

@thewitchskitchen

1 year ago

Wow, that was great, also the Q and As, brilliant, thanks

Reply

@neelanair5002

@neelanair5002

3 years ago

As Tagore the great said,' Take the best of from the East and the west!  West.Unfottunately in the east( India) much was taken for granted and neglected.Iam glad the most ancient culture is popular in the west as it now influences our citizens and they are beginning to appreciate it,and beginning to awake to the values . Best of East and West and assimilating the values is enriching to ones life. Namaste and thank you.

3

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1 reply

@fionatudor-tompkins6526

@fionatudor-tompkins6526

2 years ago

Thankyou just found this lecture it’s really helped my understanding

Reply

@karthickrajendran7282

@karthickrajendran7282

5 years ago

Thank you professor

1

Reply

@pkgty

@pkgty

3 years ago

thanks for the knowledge 🙏

Reply

@success6244

@success6244

1 year ago (edited)

Nice lecture by Professor Bryant.

Reply

@briechilli4496

@briechilli4496

2 years ago

Thank you 🙏🏽

Reply

@Yogasagar195

@Yogasagar195

2 years ago

Impressive! great clarity of thoughts

Reply

@arun.kahaduwaarachchi

@arun.kahaduwaarachchi

2 years ago

Amazing lecture!

Reply

@DeeDebChampionSewingDeeonInsta

@DeeDebChampionSewingDeeonInsta

3 years ago

Thank you - from a seeker.

1

Reply

@tamizharasanbe

@tamizharasanbe

2 years ago

Professor Bryant’s Book is helping me decode Patanjalis sutras with a fresh gestalt and surely is helping me to a be practicing yogi 🙏🏽

Reply

1 reply

@charliekelly8438

@charliekelly8438

5 years ago

hes very knowledgeable, great to listen to. the subtitles are really bad.

4

Reply

@pantherenebuleuse

@pantherenebuleuse

2 years ago

Again what an amazing and Q&A

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@SadanandaUTube

@SadanandaUTube

4 years ago

Swamiji's moral are the last thought in my mind before I drift off to sleep and the first thought when I wake up each morning

6

Reply

@YourSacredPath

@YourSacredPath

2 years ago

Excellent talk..

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@vipinkumar8142

@vipinkumar8142

1 year ago

the Living tradition went into the Himalayan Caves ...   there is an unbroken chain of Yogic masters practicing Yoga , doing tapas SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL in the Himalayas and in Tamil Nadu ...  

with change in times this knowledge comes out of the caves to the society and when times or Yuga changes it remains only in the Himalayas ..

2

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@sagarsaga00

@sagarsaga00

4 years ago

That's just àmazing

1

Reply

@prashantpandey1517

@prashantpandey1517

4 years ago

Hinduism is the science of life...❤️❤️

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Reply

1 reply

@AlvarM

@AlvarM

1 year ago

Very useful breakdown of his commentary work. The questions at the end were also very interesting. What I find even more surprising about consciousness is the more we study it in relation to neurons the less we can explain about it, in a way some authors even acknowledge that there might be more to consciousness that the sum of all the physical parts and their interactions

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@simibignall5688

@simibignall5688

2 years ago

Very helpful. Thank you.

Reply

@krishnapartha

@krishnapartha

3 years ago

Good sir. Please keep speaking. Hare Krishna. 🙏🏾

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@urmila16

@urmila16

1 year ago

Brilliant.

Reply

@yungsookevinhong7943

@yungsookevinhong7943

3 months ago (edited)

As the path we find ourself in yoga, how honest we follow through as our yoga at these difference level of practice we will be what we are in being  ( of yoga )

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@peterchase5198

@peterchase5198

2 years ago

Writing is a prop for a weak mind. This is a fascinating thought. Many so called lesser cultures did not develop writing as their culture was passed on orally.

1

Reply

@MrMarktrumble

@MrMarktrumble

4 years ago

Thank you

Reply

@milsonyxrosequartz7194

@milsonyxrosequartz7194

4 years ago

Lunde RYT-200 Appreciated this lecture/talk parad professionally with my confusion on the basic names of the Tibetan Prayer Objects, Not the Buddha but Tananka, Maitrera, and Ganesha these statues liberate the conscious mind from previous formatting to experience new ways of thinking and living. Thank you and I also Had interest in Natal Charts and still try to study those.

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@bigjojotube

@bigjojotube

4 years ago

lovely outro by swami ji

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