atha: now, auspiciousness, a prayer
yoga: joining, union, junction, combination
anusasanam: advice, direction, order, command, instructions
With prayers for divine blessings, now begins an exposition of the sacred art of yoga.
We can begin our study of yoga now. Anytime. Patanjali gives the instructions to follow on the path.
sabdajnana: verbal knowledge anupati: followed in sequence, pursued vastusunyah: devoid of meaning vikalpah: imagination Verbal knowledge devoid of substance is fancy or imagination. Having an imagination is helpful (and fun) but we cannot live in this realm all the time. At some point the imaginary words or thoughts can become an untruth.
pramana: valid / correct knowledge viparyaya: inverted, perverse vikalpa: doubt, indecision, imagination or day-dreaming nidra: sleep smrtayah: memory They are caused by correct knowledge, illusion, delusion, sleep and memory. The five-fold fluctuations of consciousness.
viparyayah: perverse, unreal mithyajnanam: illusory knowledge atadrupa: not in its own form pratistham: occupying, standing, seeing, beholding Illusory or erroneous knowledge is based on non-fact or the non-real. A false conception can generate wrong feelings. Our consciousness then responds to the wrong feelings by generating more thoughts, based on the original false impression. A vicious…
vrttaya: movements pancatayyah: fivefold klista: painful aklista: non-painful The movements of consciousness are fivefold. They may be cognizable or non-cognizable, painful or non-painful. cognizable: perceptible, clearly identifiable. The movements of consciousness are either perceptible or not. They can either be painful or not painful.
abhava: feeling of non-being, absence of awareness pratyaya: going toward conviction, trust alambana: support, abode, dependence on a prop vrttih: function, condition, thought-wave nidra: sleep without dreams Sleep is the non-deliberate absence of thought-waves or knowledge. In a dreamless sleep the consciousness is stilled without any effort.
pratyaksa: direct perception anumana: inference agamah: texts or scriptures, a person who is a scriptural authority and whose word can be relied on pramanani: kinds of proof Correct knowledge is direct, inferred or proven as factual. There are three ways to know something correctly: you can know from your own direct perception, from deduction, from…
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Beginning Sept. 2 classes will be held at Grace Episcopal Church. See the schedule. |
