Yoga And Science
Rather than the observable primary reality of existence, the goal of science is search for the truth.
And, finally, without its translation into the domain of actual life, this search, in my opinion, remains unfinished.
If not the world, science—that is, scientific knowledge—must undoubtedly change the scientist.
In the abstract, knowledge is simply a titillation of the mind, a little stimulation of a part of our entire humanness.
Knowledge must find expression in the body in order to be fulfilled.
More than that, it must use the force of its truth to transform the body.
And truth, not knowledge, is the source of all power.
Manipulative power, such as political leverage or overwhelming influence, is linked with knowledge.
Truth's intrinsic power, on the other hand, is transformational in the most profound sense.
It has the ability to reshape a person in the light of truth.
What is the truth?
Shouldn't we be talking about truths?
Truth must be unique in order to be true.
Always.
A plurality of truths is a logical paradox.
The practice of speaking about many truths originated from the loss of truth and its replacement with a plethora of facts. However, facts are not the same as truth.
Only knowledge (prajna) is freeing because it bears the truth (ritambhara).
Without conceptual blinders, truth is reality.
To the extent that science's path is illuminated by the ideal of truth, it may lead the scientist, step by step, to the discovery of truth—not just factual truth, but the sort of truth that sees everything in context and maintains that context.
When considering the broader context of human existence, it is necessary to examine humanity's evolutionary potential, as well as its potential spiritual destiny.
As a result, science may serve as a stepping stone to Yoga's "evolutionary science," i.e., a spiritual discipline that allows us to realize our entire potential.
If mastered, yoga's concentration and meditation methods reveal the mind's transcendental potential, allowing us to experience truth at the greatest level, as "ultimate Truth" (paramartha-satya).
Recommended Reading - Unity of Nature (New York: Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, 1980), by C. F. von Weizsacker.
East and West Spiritual Technologies, And Evolution
Modern civilization is moving in the direction of external freedom.
Free expression of opinion, affiliation, the ability to form personal connections on one's own terms, and the ability to follow a profession based on one's own qualities are all necessary for a productive and happy existence.
But, in the end, outward freedom is egocentric, and interior freedom should not be overlooked as a spiritual equivalent.
The defeat of desire, wrath, greed, attachment, pride, and laziness leads to inner liberation.
The only way to achieve this freedom and give meaning to all forms of external freedom is for reason and love to come together in a happy marriage.
1. Our modern technology is the result of humanity's desire for self-transcendence.
- Modern science and technology, on the other hand, are limited to the realm of relative liberty and happiness.
2. The East's psychospiritual technique (i.e., Yoga) is aimed squarely at self-transcendence and inner growth.
- Answers to our most basic human problems require both wisdom and practical understanding of contemporary science and technology.
- The great Yogas of India are known for their wisdom.
3. When we acknowledge their worth in regard to their respective areas of application, the two traditions, Eastern technology and Western scientific materialism, are complimentary.
Reality and Reality Models
1. The ultimate Reality is unfathomable to the human mind.
- As a result, adepts develop models to communicate their spiritual realizations to others.
- This is a crucial point: all teachings are simply expressions of the Truth, not the Truth itself.
- We must view them as models that may aid us in our quest to get a better understanding of life.
2. Through the euphoric condition, it is possible to perceive things immediately, without the need of the senses (samadhi).
3. Epistemology is the study of knowledge and the methods of cognition that are legitimate.
- One or more of these methods is recognized by India's different philosophical traditions.
- Only sensory perception is permitted by materialist schools, such as the Carvakas.
4. The following three tools of legitimate knowledge (pramana) are recognized by several schools of lndian thought: sense perception (pratyaksha), inference (anumana), and revealed knowledge (shabda) Some of these instruments are given special attention at each school.
- Shabda—or apta-vacana—is the testimony of adepts who are able to give witness to the ultimate Reality via direct realization.
- As a result, it is often regarded as the most reliable source of spiritual information.
- The process of establishing a proper logical link between two things is known as inference.
- The process of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, or smelling is known as perception.
5. Ontology, or being theory, is concerned with the broad categories of being.
- Most schools of Yoga emphasize ontology, relying on the paradigm provided by the Samkhya tradition, which has twenty-five categories, or tattvas, the twenty-fifth of which is the Spirit (purusha).
6. Verticalism is a kind of worldview that stresses a "Reality" above and beyond the realm of senses and intellect.
- Much of Indian Yoga has been influenced by a verticalist or "ascending" tendency.
- This has often resulted in a simultaneous retreat from the "lower" reality of the material world, as in the case of Classical Yoga.
- "In, up, and out" (internalization, ascension, and withdrawal/transcendence) summarizes the verticalist viewpoint.
7. Tantra philosophy provides an alternative to the ascending/verticalist paradigm.
- Tantra views Nature and Spirit as inextricably linked, and strives for completeness by integrating all levels, from the coarse physical world to the profound center of Being, Spirit.
- The intellectual foundations of Tantra forms the basis of advancement in the physical realm.
8. Symbolism abounds in most of the world's mystical/spiritual literature.
- An understanding and study of pervasive intelligence expressed in existence should be our approach to symbolism in general and the symbolic language used in Yoga literature.
You may also want to read more about Gnani Yoga here.
You may also want to read more about Kundalini Yoga here.
You may also want to read more about Yoga here.
You may also want to read more about Yoga Asanas and Exercises here.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.