DISCIPLINE (DHARMA) IS THE ESSENCE OF YOGA
From a talk by Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra recorded by Shri Harry Sequeira
Yoga emphasises a certain discipline as against our present thinking that is against any external discipline of the individual. Today one wishes to live as he likes, one doesn't want any constraints; this is 3 3 considered as a very worthwhile goal. As against this, the whole technique of Yoga is helping us to check our natural impulsive activities. So long as these impulsive activities continue, there is very little chance of a change. After all, what we are aiming at is a change in our way of living, way of thinking, our attitudes. Now these changes cannot occur so long as the old ways continue.
It is like trying to repair a car that is going at full speed, you can't repair it like that. You have to see that the car is stopped and then the repair starts. So, as long as the old ways continue, so long as the individual has a highly sensitive nature, is very explosive, impulsive, 'cannot check and control his instincts, it's very difficult for him to learn Yoga. An alcoholic, continuously in drinking bouts, when does he get a chance to. really practice anything serious in Yoga? He has to tell himself that 'I like to control these things to a certain extent, try these methods sincerely', and as a result a certain change occurs. and since he sees the change, he has created some faith, and on that line he proceeds further. So the idea of discipline and restraint is the very essence of Yoga. You see, they say that without restraint and discipline there is no Yoga at all.
There are many aspects of discipline, Awareness of one's behaviour is important. One of the small poems that is still recited and was a great favourite of Gandhiji would tell us about a good person, how he is always conscious of the others, conscious of their feelings, conscious of their thoughts. He doesn't do anything that would hurt the other individual.
And in the same manner, there are thoughts on telling truth. In India it is said that at the time the Greek invasion took place, and some of the Greek historians wrote down their own ideas about India, what struck them most was the truthfulness of the old Hindus. There is a discipline here in being aware of a thing then reporting it then seeing whether person communicated to understands correctly. So important it was considered that a whole religion like the Jain religion based itself on just this quality of non-violence. Non-violence was the creed. Every action that was done, the whole style of living, as far as this religious group is concerned, the Jains, was based on consideration of others.
What is true of non-violence and truth is true of the other virtues also. A single virtue is integrated in the life of a student and as a result he organizes his whole life around it. That is why you see the virtue of Brahmacarya. It is not only a control over the sex instinct and as a result he organizes his whole life around it. That is why you see the virtue of Brahmacarya. It is not only a control over the sex instinct, but one organises oneself totally, so that he can follow this. It is the same when an individual tries to reduce his needs. Now this is maintained always before oneself, and every act that is done is supporting the central idea.
Positively, in a positive sense, the Niyamas or the observances are suggested to create a new way of living. The individual is asked to create a sense of contentment. This is a state of one's consciousness where the craving to add to possessions or to acquire things illegally is reduced. The individual is constantly aware of something more than just the material. Now this is suggested as technique, creating a feeling of contentment.
This is also true of another virtue called Sauca or cleanliness. This is taken as a corner-stone in changing one's personality. One starts at the physical and then goes to the mental. The constant desire or urge to clean one's body, one's surroundings, and try to maintain a pure attitude, that is the central thing here. Now actually our modern thinking also is of this kind it tells us that 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness'. An individual who organizes things, who is not careless and irresponsible, who loves to feel pure and clean, such a one has a different kind of a mind against another who is disorganized, he is careless, slipshod, allows things to just lie around, doesn't even attend to his own personal needs.
We talk in terms of six diseases that afflict the mind. These diseases are really our negative tendencies. It is felt that so long as these tendencies are strong, thinking is very perverted, and there is totally a lack of clarity, so that any decisions taken at this stage will go wrong. These disease conditions are like jealousy, envy, hatred, attachment, the desire to hurt others fear, these are qualities that are totally unwanted. As far as a Yogic student is concerned or as far as a healthy individual is concerned, it creates sickness, as the persons does not function at all in a natural way. He is all the time influenced by these wrong ways of looking at things. Its like having put on coloured glasses. He looks at the world in a very different way from what it really is.
Once we have decided on changing ourself, changing our way of living, even then, though the things that we start working on are very ordinary, just like when changing the dietary routines, o carrying out certain exercises, or sitting quietly and learning to relax, or concentrating for a short while, you see the techniques as such are ordinary and yet the sincerity, the devotion, the strong urge, they together with the techniques, they start changing the individual's entire way of living. The techniques are carried out not in a superficial way, one puts in a lot of attention, there is good concentration and naturally, as a result, there are external changes, physical, as well as there are internal changes, there is a certain amount of sincerity, greater devotion, a greater steadiness of mind. Externally too when the techniques are well thought out like the Asanas, they bring changes in the body, they bring physiological changes which in turn create a certain new level of consciousness. Just as in the case of hygiene methods that keep clean the external body, or even the internal organs, cleanliness generates a superior state of consciousness After a bath one is fresh and so if one cleans one's entire body of dust and dirt or is rid of constipation, of all kinds of obstructions in the various passages like the ears, the nose, the throat, the resulting feeling is naturally different. So if techniques of any kind if they are carried out with a clarity of the goal it definitely brings in a newer level of consciousness and permeates the whole personality and a person's style of living changes. So there is a close connection between the way of life and the goals of life.
DISCIPLINE (DHARMA) IS THE ESSENCE OF YOGA
From a talk by Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra recorded by Shri Harry Sequeira
Yoga emphasises a certain discipline as against our present thinking that is against any external discipline of the individual. Today one wishes to live as he likes, one doesn't want any constraints; this is 3 3 considered as a very worthwhile goal. As against this, the whole technique of Yoga is helping us to check our natural impulsive activities. So long as these impulsive activities continue, there is very little chance of a change. After all, what we are aiming at is a change in our way of living, way of thinking, our attitudes. Now these changes cannot occur so long as the old ways continue.
It is like trying to repair a car that is going at full speed, you can't repair it like that. You have to see that the car is stopped and then the repair starts. So, as long as the old ways continue, so long as the individual has a highly sensitive nature, is very explosive, impulsive, 'cannot check and control his instincts, it's very difficult for him to learn Yoga. An alcoholic, continuously in drinking bouts, when does he get a chance to. really practice anything serious in Yoga? He has to tell himself that 'I like to control these things to a certain extent, try these methods sincerely', and as a result a certain change occurs. and since he sees the change, he has created some faith, and on that line he proceeds further. So the idea of discipline and restraint is the very essence of Yoga. You see, they say that without restraint and discipline there is no Yoga at all.
There are many aspects of discipline, Awareness of one's behaviour is important. One of the small poems that is still recited and was a great favourite of Gandhiji would tell us about a good person, how he is always conscious of the others, conscious of their feelings, conscious of their thoughts. He doesn't do anything that would hurt the other individual.
And in the same manner, there are thoughts on telling truth. In India it is said that at the time the Greek invasion took place, and some of the Greek historians wrote down their own ideas about India, what struck them most was the truthfulness of the old Hindus. There is a discipline here in being aware of a thing then reporting it then seeing whether person communicated to understands correctly. So important it was considered that a whole religion like the Jain religion based itself on just this quality of non-violence. Non-violence was the creed. Every action that was done, the whole style of living, as far as this religious group is concerned, the Jains, was based on consideration of others.
What is true of non-violence and truth is true of the other virtues also. A single virtue is integrated in the life of a student and as a result he organizes his whole life around it. That is why you see the virtue of Brahmacarya. It is not only a control over the sex instinct and as a result he organizes his whole life around it. That is why you see the virtue of Brahmacarya. It is not only a control over the sex instinct, but one organises oneself totally, so that he can follow this. It is the same when an individual tries to reduce his needs. Now this is maintained always before oneself, and every act that is done is supporting the central idea.
Positively, in a positive sense, the Niyamas or the observances are suggested to create a new way of living. The individual is asked to create a sense of contentment. This is a state of one's consciousness where the craving to add to possessions or to acquire things illegally is reduced. The individual is constantly aware of something more than just the material. Now this is suggested as technique, creating a feeling of contentment.
This is also true of another virtue called Sauca or cleanliness. This is taken as a corner-stone in changing one's personality. One starts at the physical and then goes to the mental. The constant desire or urge to clean one's body, one's surroundings, and try to maintain a pure attitude, that is the central thing here. Now actually our modern thinking also is of this kind it tells us that 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness'. An individual who organizes things, who is not careless and irresponsible, who loves to feel pure and clean, such a one has a different kind of a mind against another who is disorganized, he is careless, slipshod, allows things to just lie around, doesn't even attend to his own personal needs.
We talk in terms of six diseases that afflict the mind. These diseases are really our negative tendencies. It is felt that so long as these tendencies are strong, thinking is very perverted, and there is totally a lack of clarity, so that any decisions taken at this stage will go wrong. These disease conditions are like jealousy, envy, hatred, attachment, the desire to hurt others fear, these are qualities that are totally unwanted. As far as a Yogic student is concerned or as far as a healthy individual is concerned, it creates sickness, as the persons does not function at all in a natural way. He is all the time influenced by these wrong ways of looking at things. Its like having put on coloured glasses. He looks at the world in a very different way from what it really is.
Once we have decided on changing ourself, changing our way of living, even then, though the things that we start working on are very ordinary, just like when changing the dietary routines, o carrying out certain exercises, or sitting quietly and learning to relax, or concentrating for a short while, you see the techniques as such are ordinary and yet the sincerity, the devotion, the strong urge, they together with the techniques, they start changing the individual's entire way of living. The techniques are carried out not in a superficial way, one puts in a lot of attention, there is good concentration and naturally, as a result, there are external changes, physical, as well as there are internal changes, there is a certain amount of sincerity, greater devotion, a greater steadiness of mind. Externally too when the techniques are well thought out like the Asanas, they bring changes in the body, they bring physiological changes which in turn create a certain new level of consciousness. Just as in the case of hygiene methods that keep clean the external body, or even the internal organs, cleanliness generates a superior state of consciousness After a bath one is fresh and so if one cleans one's entire body of dust and dirt or is rid of constipation, of all kinds of obstructions in the various passages like the ears, the nose, the throat, the resulting feeling is naturally different. So if techniques of any kind if they are carried out with a clarity of the goal it definitely brings in a newer level of consciousness and permeates the whole personality and a person's style of living changes. So there is a close connection between the way of life and the goals of life.