Author: Elizabeth Denley
(Australian Yoga Life, Issue 8 - 2004, pp.45-48, published by
Judith Clements, www.ayl.com.au)
| 'Raja yoga' literally means the king of yogas.
This is a very grand title for a branch of yoga that
is not as popular or as well-known as others, and
that sometimes appears quite obscure. This article
aims to demystify raja yoga, exploring the underlying
philosophy, and most importantly its relevance
for us in today's world. |
The origins of raja yoga
Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means to
yoke or unite. This union describes the goal of yoga, to unite
us with the Ultimate consciousness, which is sometimes called
the Absolute, the Self, God, or the Creator. Raja means
king, and this form of yoga is called raja yoga because the
mind is supposed to be the king among the organs. Its origins
go back long before any written texts. It is the old system
or science followed by the great rishis (seers) to help
them in realising the Self or God through meditation and associated
practices. It was first introduced by a rishi who lived
thousands of years ago. He discovered a practical method so
people could evolve to their highest nature. He then started
to train others1. Later, around 2000 years ago, the
ancient practices of yoga were compiled and summarised by Patanjali2,
in his Yoga Sutras. While raja yoga encompasses all eight
steps of Patanjali’s yoga – yama, niyama, asana,
pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi
– the focus is on the last two steps: the mind, meditation
and diving into the inner universe. Over the centuries, and
up to the present day, raja yoga has continued to evolve, thanks
to the practical experience of great sages.
Perception, and the mind as our instrument of perception
In raja yoga the mind is the instrument for looking inwards
and uncovering the inner self. Reading a description from ancient
yogic philosophy of how our minds perceive the world, we could
be forgiven for thinking we are in a modern biology or medical
class, except for mention of the soul.
The way our minds perceive is described in the steps3
(see diagram right). The mind is simply an instrument through
which the soul interacts with the world, including the physical
body. This internal mental instrument, which includes all the
processes described (see right), is called in yoga the chitta.
The chitta is often described as a lake, and in this
mind-lake, waves of thought rise up and fall away as a result
of the impressions we take in from the external world, so that
sometimes the mind is restless and disturbed, and sometimes
it is calm, just like the surface of a lake. When the surface
of the mind-lake is very disturbed, because many thoughts are
rising up as waves, we cannot see the bottom of the lake. We
only glimpse the bottom when the waves have subsided and the
lake is calm. Think of the bottom of the lake as the inner Self,
the spiritual centre. In raja yoga, in order to uncover the
Self, we have to calm the waves of thought in the mind-lake.
When we put our attention outwards to the external world, the
sense organs draw it out and impressions are continually formed,
creating waves of thought through the mind-lake, resulting in
disturbance. So the first step in raja yoga is to regulate the
mind: to check the outward tendency and allow some of the mind’s
attention to turn inwards.
Turning the attention of the mind inwards
All the great prophets, sages and yogis have found divinity
and wisdom through inner experience, and raja yoga teaches us
to uncover those experiences by observing the internal states
through the daily practice of meditation. The instrument is
the mind itself. The mind studies the mind and illuminates it.
From our childhood onwards we have been taught to pay attention
to the external world. Most of us have little awareness of our
inner world, but the process is not complicated, as the same
methods of observation are needed for understanding the inner
world as for the outer, external world. In raja yoga, we rely
on observation, use discrimination, and learn from experience,
as in any other science. It is like sunlight shining into the
caverns of the mind which have been kept in darkness –
illumination comes. There is nothing secret or mysterious in
this. In fact, Swami Vivekananda writes: "Anything that
is secret and mysterious in this system of Yoga should be at
once rejected. The best guide in life is strength. In spirituality,
as in all other matters, discard everything that weakens you.
Have nothing to do with it. Mystery-mongering weakens the human
brain. It has wellnigh destroyed Yoga, one of the grandest of
sciences."4
In raja yoga we do not need to believe anything, because everything
is based on practical experience. We start to perceive for ourselves
whether or not we have souls, whether life lasts only as long
as the physical body, or goes beyond, and whether or not there
is a God: all through direct experience. We learn many things,
but this knowledge is not an end in itself. The goal is to find
oneness with the absolute ultimate – yoga. As this is the
goal, the object of meditation must also be the formless, absolute
ultimate.
Balancing the spiritual and material life
Turning the attention of the mind inwards does not mean we have
to give up on the world, which is a common misconception about
raja yoga. It is true that the ancient rishis renounced
normal life to dedicate their lives solely to their spiritual
pursuit. The rishis meditated day and night, and their
focus was totally on the spiritual.
But this is as unbalanced as a life in which the focus is totally
on the material world, ignoring the spiritual. The lack of balance
in both extremes is explained by Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari,
the current living guru of the Sahaj Marg system of raja yoga
in the diagram (left).
Raja yoga has evolved to be accessible to everyday people,
who contribute to family life and community, while wanting to
attain a spiritual goal. The teachers of Sahaj Marg raja yoga
say that spiritual growth comes with normalising all functions
of a human being. For example, unlike some earlier raja yoga
systems, procreation is seen as a natural function of Nature,
so celibacy is not prescribed. Instead, spiritual practice leads
to the natural purpose and function of procreation being normalised.
All three in the succession of teachers in Sahaj Marg have been
family men with children. They teach that it is in the world
of the family that almost all human qualities are perfected,
including the capacities to love, to renounce, to take responsibility,
to function in a group, to tolerate, to sacrifice and surrender.
Without this humanness, the spiritual practice of raja yoga
can become austere and dry. Spirituality without humanity and
character development is again very unbalanced. After all, we
still have to lead everyday lives, and it is through the interaction
with the world that we have a mirror to reflect the inner changes.
To only study the old texts and practices of raja yoga does
not give any idea of the evolution that has occurred in this
science, especially during the last 150 years. It would be like
taking an astronomy text from the time of Ptolemy, and expecting
to understand modern astronomy. It would not be adequate. The
only way to know about raja yoga as it is practised today is
to go to the teachings of the current masters of raja yoga,
and understand it in today’s world. This shows no disrespect
to the ancients, whose knowledge and wisdom was vast. It simply
acknowledges that evolution has occurred.
What is thought? What is prana?
"What is thought?" The simple answer is that thought
is a force.5 What does this mean? According to the
ancient philosophies of India, the universe is composed of two
natural principles: akasha and prana.
Akasha is often translated as ‘space’. Everything
that has form is created out of space. Before the creation of
a universe, there is only space. At the end of a universe, all
matter dissolves back into space again, and the next creation
again comes out of space, which is the infinite, omnipresent
material of this universe.
Prana is the vital force of this universe, and is often
translated as ‘energy’, ‘force’, or ‘power’.
At the end of a universe, all the forces in the universe dissolve
back into prana; they quieten down and become potential
– what we call potential energy. At the beginning of the
next cycle, everything that we call in physics energy or force
evolves out of this prana. The energy stirs, energises
space, and matter is formed. As matter and space change, prana
also changes into different types of energy. It is prana
that expresses as motion, as gravitation, as magnetism, as heat,
and as light. It is prana that expresses as the actions
of the body, as the nerve currents, and as thought.
This vital life force is in every being. Without it, we would
not be alive for even a billionth of a second. Prana
can be expressed in either more forceful or more subtle forms
of energy, just as a person can be more forceful or subtle in
their way of acting. Thought is a more subtle expression of
prana than the physical energies in our bodies. Within
the realm of thought, there are also different degrees of subtlety.
First there is what we call instinct, subconscious or unconscious
thought, including all reflex actions of the body. Then there
is conscious thought, where we reason, think and analyse. The
mind also functions on a still higher plane, the superconscious
state, where it goes beyond the limits of reason and doubt,
into the realm of intuition and wonder. In raja yoga, the mind
is taken up to the subtle states of superconsciousness.
The conscious working of the mind, the realm of reason, is
a narrow circle. Yet it is beyond the circle of reason that
we find answers to the profound questions of human existence:
whether there is an immortal soul; whether there is a God; whether
there is any supreme intelligence guiding this universe. Our
ethical theories, our moral attitudes, much that we value in
human nature, have come from beyond the conscious mind. Babuji
writes: "If a thing is seen through the intuitional insight
without the unnecessary medium of reason it will be visible
in its original form without error or defect."6
The great prophets and saints of religion claim and artists
also receive their inspiration and creative insight from beyond
the realm of normal consciousness, when the mind is relaxed
and open.7 When the mind is in a superconscious state,
higher wisdom comes.
great sages and prophets
have agreed that it is in the
heart of the human being
that God can be found. We all know this from moments
when we find inspiration. The practice of raja yoga brings us
to finer and finer superconscious states, till we eventually
come to the most subtle of all, the true Self. This journey
through the inner universe to the Self is called the spiritual
journey.
We receive unimaginable assistance with this journey from the
teacher. People often ask, especially in the West, if it is
possible to practise raja yoga without a teacher. It is like
learning the flute or a foreign language. It is always possible
to try alone, but a teacher can share their experience with
us. A teacher can show us something with one gesture that may
take years to learn alone. A teacher can also correct us when
we have gone off track. Even great sportsmen and sportswomen
have coaches. They may be top in their field, but they recognise
the need for a teacher to support them while striving to master
their chosen discipline. We accept the need for a teacher in
many worldly disciplines, so why not in spirituality?
In raja yoga the teacher also helps us in another way. When
a yogi has control over prana, it can be brought to the
highest state of vibration and transmitted to another person,
arousing in them a similar vibration. The great they transmit
their own spiritual condition to others as pranahuti
(offering of the life force). The higher the teacher’s
own spiritual state, the higher the state from which they transmit,
and the more effective the transmission in bringing about transformation
in the student. It is for this reason that the teacher is so
vital in raja yoga. The teacher is there to serve, to work for
humanity, and there is no thought of being revered or worshipped.
In fact spiritual teachers behave with humility rarely seen
among human beings.
Meditation
Babuji said: "Meditation is the foundation of spirituality.
If you meditate having your real goal before you, you are sure
to arrive at the destination."8 Some ancient yoga systems
taught meditation on points like the nose, between the eyebrows,
and the forehead, but the Vedic and Upanishadic texts recommend
only the heart for spirituality. Babuji also prescribes meditation
on the heart in Sahaj Marg for three important reasons.9 First,
the heart is the seat of life, so when we meditate on the heart
we meditate on the source of life itself. Second, circulation
starts from the heart, so if the heart is purified as samskaras
(mental impressions of the past) are removed, the purity will
extend throughout the human system. Third, great sages and prophets
have agreed that it is in the heart of the human being that
God can be found. Some say that meditation in raja yoga should
great sages and prophets have agreed that it is in the heart
of the human being that God can be found.
Some say that meditation in raja yoga should only be taken
up after a number of other practices have been mastered. These
are the six prior steps of Patanjali’s eight-limbed yoga:
yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara and dharana.10
But Babuji has advised, as a result of his own research, that
the earlier stages do not need to be done independently. They
can be taken up through the sincere practice of meditation.
As the body becomes tranquil, so posture is established naturally
(asana) and breathing slows and assumes a natural cycle
during meditation (pranayama). As the human system is
cleaned of impressions (samskaras) by the teacher, with
the active cooperation of the student in moulding character,
yama and niyama naturally unfold. The mind becomes accustomed
to turning inwards and thinking about one thing, so focus and
concentration also naturally develop (pratyahara and
dharana).11
In meditation, we gather ourselves at one point, our minds
cease wandering, and we return to our own centre, the Self.
To support this, the teacher directs the flow of Divine current
towards the heart as pranahuti, awakening and nurturing
our spiritual growth. We have only to prepare ourselves to receive
it. Swami Vivekananda writes: "The power that can transform
life in a moment can be found only in living illuminated souls,
those shining souls who appear among us from time to time. They
alone are fit to be gurus. … The guru is the bright mask
which God wears in order to come to us. As we look steadily
on him, gradually the mask falls off and God is revealed."12
What required such labour and hardship for the ancient rishis
can be achieved now so simply, thanks to the service of the
teacher, who lies at the heart of raja yoga.
References
1. Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Volume 1, Ram Chandra, 1989,
Shri Ram Chandra Mission, USA
2. The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali ,translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda,
1978, Integral Yoga Publications, Virginia, USA
3, 4 5. Raja Yoga, Swami Vivekananda, 1982, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda
Centre, New York
6. Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Volume 1, Ram Chandra, 1989,
Shri Ram Chandra Mission, USA
7. The Act of Creation, Arthur Koestler, 1970, MacMillan Publishing
8. Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Volume 1, Ram Chandra, 1989,
Shri Ram Chandra Mission, USA
9. Combined Works of Chariji, Volume 1, Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari,
2002, Shri Ram Chandra Mission, India
10. The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda,
1978, Integral Yoga Publications, Virginia, USA
11. Combined Works of Chariji, Volume 1, Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari,
2002, Shri Ram Chandra Mission, India
12. Raja yoga, Swami Vivekananda, 1982, Ramakrishna- Vivekananda
Centre, New York
