Yoga Sutras II.31
July 22nd, 2006 at 9:18 am (Uncategorized)
II. 31 “The universal disciplines are applicable irrespective of one’s state of life, place, time, or circumstance.”
Many people imagine that things will be different after they die. Either they will be rewarded with an afterlife of eternal bliss or they will be roasting their toes in lakes of fire because of their past sins. This may be true for those with a powerful enough imagination to sustain such a state, but for the knower of reality the future is no different than the present. Neither death nor any other modification of the environment will do much to make a change in the current experiences of the knower.
Death is often likened to casting off used garments. The body falls and the soul carries on. Keeping this in mind, remember the last time you changed your clothes. Was your body radically different from the change? Did your basic views on life change? No they did not. Changes to the body and mind structure only occur through effort. The same is true about one’s general experience in life.
Remember that life is eternal. Life is not bound by birth or death. Birth and death are the two polarities in which life is temporarily confined for an incarnation. Before birth, life is the same. After death, life is still the same. The quality of life can be improved through living in harmony with the natural laws of the universe. If living in this way is not natural in the present moment this may take intention and commitment. Otherwise, inertia will carry the force of the present onwards without change.
All of this is important to know in regard to the yamas, because our spiritual development is not confined to this single personality experience we are currently aware of. It spans great ages of existence being. The yamas are the foundation for spiritual practice and function as proper support no matter what our current experience, incarnate or otherwise. As the march of time moves on so does life continue to interact with the manifest creation. This may take numerous and varied forms, but no matter the place, state, time or circumstance actualization of the yamas ensures harmonious interactions and accelerated spiritual growth.
Micah said,
July 24, 2006 at 2:02 pm
“The quality of life can be improved through living in harmony with the natural laws of the universe.”
It is interesting because this is, perhaps, the most pervasive theme in all of the ancient wisdom texts. The Stoics certainly realized it. I actually wrote a paper on how the wisdom literature of the Old Testament scriptures commonly admonish the reader to look towards nature to identify rules for living well.
In any case, I tend to be of the view that one can learn most of the important things in life by paying attention to the themes that recurred throughout the ancient wisdom literatures. And this point about living in harmony with nature has knocked me over the head more than once (of course during those moments when I’m least living in harmony with nature - read: spending my days writing texts in front of a computer screen).
Ryan said,
July 25, 2006 at 9:52 am
It is often recomended in these ancient texts to look to nature to learn about the processes of life. All authentic enlightenment traditions share the same core truths, couched in different languages and symbolism.