Yoga Sutras and the World of the Human Mind
111 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsSwami Tattwamayananda’s exposition of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras was given at the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco (founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1900) from October 10, 2014 to December 21, 2018 in a series of 111 lectures. These lectures include a mixture of philosophy both Eastern and Western, history, psychology, comparative theology, mysticism, classical parables, and simple everyday examples.
Patanjali was a great Indian sage who wrote major treatises on Ayurveda, Sanskrit grammar and Yoga. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali contain 195 sutras organized into four chapters. It gives a complete analysis of the mental system, how to transcend mental conflicts by linking the mind to a transcendental spiritual reality and how to become established in our true nature.
The classes are given from the viewpoint of Vedanta, one of the oldest philosophies of the world, which constitute the universal spiritual essence of the Vedas, the foundational scriptures of Hinduism. During the exposition, the Swami has drawn extensively from authentic Sanskrit commentaries and interpretative works like ‘Yoga-Bhasya’ of Vyasa, ‘Tattwa-Vaisharadi” of Vachaspati Mishra, ‘Yoga-Varttika’ of Vijnana Bhikshu, ‘Raja-Martanda’ of Bhoja Raja, ‘Yoga-Sudhakara’ of Sadashivendra Saraswati, with occasional references from ‘Yoga-Maniprabha’ of Ramananda Yati, ‘Patanjala-Yogashastra-Vivarana’ of Sri Shankara, and interpretations of Yoga-aphorisms by Swami Vivekananda and Swami Hariharananda Aranya.
“By the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times.” “The moral, ethical, and spiritual relations between soul and soul and between individual spirits and the Father of all spirits, were there before their discovery, and would remain even if we forgot them." (Paper on Hinduism, Swami Vivekananda, World's Parliament of Religions 1893)
According to this series of classes, the Yoga system of Patanjali reaches its ultimate fulfillment in the conclusions of Vedanta, that there is one all-pervading, immanent, eternal spiritual reality, which is our own true nature.
In the original text of Patanjali the order is 1. Samadhipada 2. Sadhanapada 3. Vibhutipada 4. Kaivalyapada. But in this exposition of the Yoga-sutra the speaker has followed a different order, which seems to be more logical from the standpoint of actual Yoga-sadhana, i.e., 1. Sadhanapada 2. Vibhutipada 3. Samadhipada 4. Kaivalyapada. To help beginners in the study of Yoga philosophy, the basic definitions from the first few aphorisms of Samadhipada are explained at the beginning.
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Episodes
111 – Ashtanga Yoga and Freedom | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 13, 2019 00:06 - 1 hour - 28.2 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. The eight limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga completely remove the impure inherited tendencies of the mind. First, one practices ethical disciplines and then acquires a good posture for meditation. Then, one is able to obtain an effortless and free yogic concentration. This concentration leads to spiritual insight and the power to break through all bondages of the mind. Verse: II.28
110 – Samskaras: the Mystery of Human Character | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 13, 2019 00:05 - 56 minutes - 25.9 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. This lecture constitutes a review of the process by which Yoga leads us beyond mental conflicts and to inner contentment. Mental conflicts come from hidden inherited tendencies from past lives - Samskaras. This idea is Patanjali’s major contribution to psychology. By taking care of these samskaras, we can transcend the conflict between intellect and the accumulated habits and memories.
109 – Cloud of Virtue: What the Great Prophets Had | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 12, 2019 23:10 - 55 minutes - 25.5 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. The mind is not the real I, the real I is Purusha. Reason has its limits but this instinctive wisdom goes beyond this. That’s why great prophets could do things and say things whose meaning only become apparent after a long time. They had special insight. They found the whole foundation of truth within themselves. By not using such power for selfish purposes, we are able to prevent a fall. Then only Prarabdha Karma remains. Verses: IV.28, IV.29, IV.30
108 – The Real Seer is Self-Revealing | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 12, 2019 23:09 - 1 hour - 29 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. This lecture contains a detailed analysis of the nature of the real seer, Purusha or Atman, according to multiple approaches. Verses: IV.17, IV.18, IV.19, IV.20
107 – The Unchanging Behind the Changing | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 12, 2019 23:08 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Vivarta Satkaryavada in Advaita Vedanta is reviewed. Nominalism of Buddhism is also explained. Advaita, according to Shankaracharya, is a combination of Absolute Idealism and Realism. Verses: IV.15, IV.16, IV.17, IV.18
106 – Objects and Minds in Buddhism and Yoga | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 12, 2019 22:49 - 51 minutes - 23.6 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. A comparison is made between Buddhist schools of philosophy and Yoga on the question of the relationship between minds and objects. Verses: IV.14, IV.15
105 – Continuing Our Spiritual Journey across Space, Time, and Lives | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 12, 2019 22:48 - 1 hour - 29.4 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Our tendencies from previous life cycles are re-expressed when put into an appropriate environment. When we suddenly feel at home with a profound philosophical idea, it means we have some previous acquaintance. This allows us to continue our spiritual evolution. Verses: IV.9, IV.10, IV.11
104 – Desires Without Beginning But With an End | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 12, 2019 22:48 - 1 hour - 28.9 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. There are good, bad, and mixed actions. These actions lead to tendencies that will manifest when the appropriate environment is available. Even though there is a separation in time and place, these manifestations form a continuous link. The different kinds of karmas are discussed in this context. These tendencies are without beginning. However, they come to end when we identify ourselves with our transcendental nature. Verses: IV.7, IV.8, IV.9, IV.10
103 – Manifestation of Divinity Already in Man | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 12, 2019 20:53 - 1 hour - 31.1 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. All power is already within us. We remove the obstacles to manifest the divinity within us. Verses: IV.1, IV.2, IV.3, IV.4, IV.5, IV.6
102 - Liberation From Ourselves | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 10, 2019 01:12 - 1 hour - 31.9 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Kaivalyam, liberation means liberation from ourselves. We are trapped in a cycle of actions, mental impressions, tendencies, and then repeated action. By changing our identification we begin to evolve. Our obstacles are in the form of Klesas, obsessive likes and dislikes. This creates a conflict between what the intellect wants to do and what the mind allows us to do. The root is a wrong identification of who we are. To overcome this, the first step is...
101 – Reaching the Soul: Transcendence of Ritambhara-Prajna | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 04, 2019 14:20 - 1 hour - 29.3 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. With Ritambhara-Prajna, the higher intuitive insight also comes with the confirmation that it is true. This knowledge creates a great Vritti that counters the innumerable conflicting Vrittis in the mental system. This knowledge goes beyond all ordinary tools of knowledge such as direct sensory perception or inference. Swami Vivekananda says that a high ideal is necessary to counter all negative ideals. When this Ritambhara-Prajna comes, all accumulated t...
100 – Realization is Religion, the Rest is Preparation | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 03, 2019 14:40 - 1 hour - 28.3 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Ritambhara-Prajna is a kind of spiritual intuition filled with infallible truth. It goes beyond all normal human tools of epistemology. A person with this insight is a Rishi, seer. The testimony recorded in the scriptures is the authentic testimony of those endowed with this knowledge. By Guru-Disciple tradition, a line of authentic teachers has preserved this knowledge. Ritam is the harmonizing link we realize in ourselves. The experience of truth is ...
99 – Dehypnotization: Reverse Evolution | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 03, 2019 14:35 - 1 hour - 30.3 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Shabda, Artha, Jnana, sound, meaning, and knowledge are still mixed up in Savitarka-Samadhi. At Nirvitarka-Samadhi, the three are no longer mixed, only the resulting knowledge remains and therefore there are no more conflicting thoughts. Prakriti is the source of material evolution in Sankhya philosophy. All of the created things in the mind can be taken back to their unmanifest form in Prakriti. A Yogi withdraws his identification with different evolute...
98 – Sound, Meaning, Knowledge: Together and Separate | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 02, 2019 14:50 - 1 hour - 28.5 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Shabda, Artha, Jnana, sound, meaning, and knowledge are usually mixed up. When we reach Savitarka Samadhi, we are able to gain deep insight into things. At this stage, Shabda, Artha, and Jnana are still mixed up. A Sanskrit verse explains that geniuses are known to have deviations in life if they do not have spirituality. At a higher stage of meditation, Nirvitarka-Samadhi, the three do not mix, memory is purified, and conflicting thoughts subside. Vers...
97 – Crystal Mind and Blessedness | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 02, 2019 14:40 - 1 hour - 27.8 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Deep inner contentment gives us a feeling of being spiritually rich. When the Vrittis have become weakened, a person’s mind becomes like a crystal. It reflects the light of whatever it meditates upon clearly. This concentration with freedom comes only when it is preceded by the practice of Yamas and Niyamas, the 10 fundamental ethical disciplines. When he concentrates on a holy thought or person, he reflects it clearly. St. John wrote the same about the...
96 – Concentration with Freedom is Samapatti | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 01, 2019 14:40 - 1 hour - 29.8 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. The higher aspiration of Yoga is to reach a state of Nirodha, complete freedom from obsessive likes and dislikes, Vrittis, of the mind. Before reaching that stage, several stages of concentration are classified: restlessness, dullness, swinging between extremes, and one-pointed. Kshina-Vrtti is a state when the mind’s vrittis have been weakened or transcended. The mind then attains a state of Yogic concentration, which is free. Verses: I.1, I.2, I.41
94 – Pravrtti: Transcendental Experience Destroys Doubt | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 01, 2019 14:40 - 1 hour - 30.9 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. The practices of Pranayama and friendliness toward fellow spiritual seekers can help us conquer our obstacles. Intellectual conviction only goes skin deep. Pravrtti, transcendental experience, will reinforce our belief that we are on the right track. There is also a higher type of experience, which is beyond all sorrow and destroys all doubts. You can tell if it is a valid experience by the result. The result should be a deep-rooted contentment and frie...
95 – Mental System is a Mirror Reflecting Our Spiritual Nature | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 01, 2019 14:40 - 1 hour - 32.9 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Patanjali explains that regulating human relationships, Pranayama, transcendental experiences, and meditation on the heart of a holy person can lead to deep contentment. We take on the characteristics of that which we meditate upon. Some dreams give a feeling of blessedness. They can also be a support. The mental system is a mirror which reflects our spiritual nature, Atman or God. The impurities are our obsessive likings and dislikes. When they are cl...
93 – Prana: Cutting New Channels Through the Mental System | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 01, 2019 14:35 - 1 hour - 33.2 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Indifference is a vaccination towards contagious negativity. It is not insensitivity but enlightened sensitivity. Pranayama can lead to peace of mind. The breath is a thin thread linking us to the cosmic energy. Prana cuts new channels through the mental system. When we try to cut new channels, the mind and body may react. The mental system has tendency to run in the same conservative ruts. For this reason, the aspect of religion involving changing t...
92 – Countering Despair: Four Doors to Peace | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
March 01, 2019 14:35 - 1 hour - 32.7 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. What makes a Buddha or a Christ is the sense of Atha, the desire for something higher in life. When this higher aspiration comes, obstacles and despair are inevitable. In order to conquer them focusing on one chosen high ideal is recommended. We can conserve our energy resources by a developing an inner filtering mechanism toward negative ideas. The four kinds of relations – friendliness, compassion, admiration, and indifference – are four doors to peace...
91 – Prana: Infinite Cosmic Energy | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 28, 2019 22:02 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. In order to gain inner contentment, Citta-Prasada, we can practice regulating our human relationships according to friendship, compassion, admiration, and indifference. Another method is Pranayama, breath work, but this must be undertaken with proper ethical disciplines, Yamas and Niyamas. Spiritual concentration without hatred or obsessive like is the natural by-product of Citta-Prasada. Along the way, we may also experience things beyond the psychophysi...
90 – Managing Human Relationships: Joy Without Its Opposite | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 28, 2019 21:13 - 53 minutes - 24.7 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. There is a conflict between what our mind allows us to do and what the intellect wants to do. For this reason, many unexpected mental obstacles appear when we try to progress in spiritual life. We do selfless work to purify the mental stream. Having joy without its opposite or inner contentment is the key to progressing in spiritual life. We should cultivate friendliness with fellow seekers, compassion for those who are trying to progress, admiration for...
89 – Danger of Delusions | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 28, 2019 18:02 - 1 hour - 31.1 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Obstacles inevitably arise when we take to spiritual life. Bhranti Darshana, false experience is a very dangerous one. It can either come in the form of feeling we have made great progress when we have not or feeling we are not making progress even though we are. Also, there is the problem of not being able to retain higher experiences. The mind sometimes swings back down. Purification is required to stay at a higher plane. Active interest in philosoph...
88 – The 9 Psychological Obstacles | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 28, 2019 18:02 - 56 minutes - 25.8 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Spiritual practice is bitter at the beginning and sweet at the end. When Japa matures and our mind ascends, we find the obstacles to spiritual practice disappearing. Patanjali gives a comprehensive list of psychological obstacles. Being aware of them clears the way for further progress. A sense of sanctity for spiritual practice, Shraddha, neutralizes most of these obstacles. The first set of obstacles are Vyadhi, Styana, Samshaya, Pramada, Alasya, Avir...
87 – Grace and Self-Effort: A Lamp Lighted | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 28, 2019 18:01 - 1 hour - 30.4 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. God in Yoga is omniscient, beyond all sorrow, and the teacher of all teachers. A seeker’s spiritual practices prepare him to receive God’s grace. He can then recognize God’s grace as his grace. A spiritual teacher helps lead him to that stage by removing darkness. The theory of Pratika, symbols, is explained. OM is the symbol for the ultimate transcendental reality. It is the substratum of all sound and therefore that of all thought. When we practice r...
86 – As We Evolve, Our Conception of God Evolves | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 27, 2019 23:48 - 1 hour - 29.5 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. With Shraddha, a sense of sanctity attached to spiritual practice, comes complete awareness, Smrti. An example of the development of modern Japan is given to illustrate the intensity of practice. Devotion to God is another option for intensification. In Yoga, God is the teacher of all teachers, not a conventional creator God. By intense devotion, his qualities of purity, knowledge, and dispassion come to you. The difference between him and a liberated s...
85 – Returning to Our True Home: Intensification of Spiritual Life | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 27, 2019 23:47 - 56 minutes - 26 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. The great Indian sage Patanjali wrote major treatises on Ayurveda, Sanskrit grammar, and Yoga. From Samprajnata Samadhi, mastery of nature, we ascend to Asamprajnata Samadhi, freedom from nature. Intensification of practice means constant regulation of the intake of positive food, both mental and physical. Mild, medium and intense levels of practice are possible. The mind cannot keep quiet so it must be fed good spiritual food. In Vedanta, we find that ...
84 – This Yoga is My Path: The Characteristic of a Real Yogi | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 27, 2019 23:47 - 56 minutes - 25.9 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Smrti, memory, is constant remembrance and awareness. Mindfulness is a modern diluted form of a Buddhist tradition, which practices this Smrti. Shraddha is an untranslatable word, which roughly corresponds to sincerity, dedication, faith, and a sense of sanctity. It allows you to persevere and protects you like a loving mother. It leads to Virya, psychic energy. That leads you to Smrti, a constant remembrance. These are the characteristics of a real yo...
83 – All These Delusions Will Vanish | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 27, 2019 14:50 - 1 hour - 28.3 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Good tendencies liberate us from the bad tendencies but they still do not give freedom. In Shunyavada school of Buddhism, the ultimate reality is beyond all description and non-dual. Desire vanishes and the Soul, Atman, is left in its own splendor. The unmanifest-manifest, Ayakta-Vyakta, the theory of cyclicism is reviewed. When we are able to resolve the effect back into the cause we are freed from it. Some yogis merge into nature and become celestial ...
82 – Beyond Good And Evil | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 27, 2019 14:45 - 1 hour - 31.8 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Samprajnata Samadhi is mastery over nature. Asamprajnata is freedom from the senses. In Samprajnata Samadhi, the old vrittis are controlled. In Asamprajnata Samadhi, the old vrittis are no longer able to function. We are freed from past tendencies. We are free from the cycle of birth and death. Having transcended the mind, we transcend ordinary knowledge and are established in transcendental intuition. We go beyond good and evil. We are finally able ...
81 – Asamprajnata Samadhi: Not Only Mastery but Freedom | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 26, 2019 19:09 - 57 minutes - 26.4 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Swami Vivekananda says that Samprajnata Samadhi allows mastery over nature, but Asamprajnata Samadhi allows freedom from nature. Buddha had to negate all the hundreds of memories from previous life cycles when he sat for meditation to reach the highest realization. The eighteenth sutra explains that Virama Pratyaya, the negation of impressions, leads us to the highest. The thoughts that come up in meditation can be resolved back into their fundamental cau...
80 – 25 Cosmic Principles and Mastery of Nature | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 26, 2019 19:00 - 54 minutes - 25 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Dispassion leads to mastery of nature. The Samkhya philosophy explains the evolution of the material universe from Prakrti to the entire physical and mental world. In addition, there is a sentient witness Purusha. Dispassion leads to Samprajnata Samadhi, concentration filled with transcendental insight, into everything in the material world. This leads to mastery over nature. According to Swami Vivekananda, the second method of concentration is to conce...
79 – Highest Dispassion: Going Beyond the Three Gunas | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 26, 2019 14:30 - 1 hour - 31.1 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. This lecture beings with a review of Vashikara Vairagya, the first stage of dispassion. The higher vairagya, Para-Vairagya, means going beyond the influence of the three Gunas. The commentators have explained that Pratiprasava, involution, is the process by which these tendencies get dissolved into their causes. At the highest stage, even the desire for Viveka-Khyati, discerning wisdom, is transcended. With concentration, we become filled with Prajna, tr...
77 – Long Practice of Dispassion Leads to Concentration Filled with Transcendental Insight | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 26, 2019 14:30 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. This lecture begins with the reminder that stable Yoga-Sadhana can only come when we develop a sense of sanctity towards practice. The two stages of dispassion are discussed. In the first, all tendencies remain only as tendencies. We are able to control them through dispassion. In the second stage, even those tendencies are no longer functional. To become established in the first stage of dispassion requires disciplined beneficial spiritual associations....
78 – Review: Breaking Free From Our Mental Cycles | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 26, 2019 14:30 - 53 minutes - 24.3 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. This lecture begins with a review of the chapter order of the yoga sutra classes. The world of Vrittis that constitute our mental world, keeps us in a cycle of activities and tendencies. Yoga helps us to break the cycle and evolve. The first step is to use actions, Kriya Yoga, to generate good tendencies. To break the cycle, the root ignorance of our nature must be removed through continuous practice of discerning wisdom, Viveka-Khyati. Ethics, Yamas, an...
76 – Renunciation Becomes a Method of Enjoying this World | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 25, 2019 23:24 - 1 hour - 30.3 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. This lecture begins with a reminder of the mental blocks that come from the accumulated Samskaras in our Antahkarana. We can restrain the Vrittis by the practice of feeding good tendencies and remaining indifferent to the negative tendencies of the mind. Swami then discusses the Ishavasya Upanishad’s concept of enjoying the world by renouncing it. The fifteenth and sixteenth sutras discuss the lower and higher stages of Vairagyam, dispassion. At the high...
75 – Detachment Means Identifying With a Higher Ideal | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 25, 2019 23:16 - 56 minutes - 25.7 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. This lecture begins with a discussion of the Vedanta and Yoga explanation of the variety of human beings. At the physical and spiritual level, all are the same, but at the subtle personality level, there is a great variety. The goal of Yoga is to become free from the trap of this subtle body, Antahkarana. For that, the practice of Vairagya, dispassion is essential. Swami discusses that in Yoga hermeneutics words have a specific well-defined meaning. The...
74 – Directing the Mental River toward Auspiciousness | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 25, 2019 23:13 - 1 hour - 31.7 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. This lecture begins with a discussion of the meaning of the invocation verse describing the great sage Patanjali. Nirodha state, the goal of Yoga is reviewed. We can either rest in our true nature or identify with changing sense phenomenon. The five types of mental impressions, Vrittis are reviewed. We are kept rotating in a cycle of Karma, action, Vrittis, Impressions, and Samskaras, strong tendencies. Vyasa compares this to the river of the mind, whic...
73 – Dispassion Becomes Effortless Like a Continuous Flow of Oil | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 25, 2019 19:42 - 53 minutes - 24.5 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Most of us are living under the strangle of mental impressions, Vrittis. We must practice detachment from memories, Smrti. Another important practice is to 1) live as much as possible in the company of spiritual aspirants – Maitri, 2) be compassionate towards good people who are struggling to make progress – Karuna., 3) admire the good - Mudhita, 4) and keep a long distance from those who may hurt our spiritual aspirations – Upeksha. We practice the attit...
72 – The Most Important Practice: The Meaning of Dispassion | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 25, 2019 19:11 - 57 minutes - 26.3 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. In order to cross over the ocean of our accumulated tendencies, vrittis, Patanjali says we must practice Vairagya, dispassion. Vairagya comes with a realization of the impermanence of sensory enjoyments as well as a positive refinement of all our tendencies toward something higher. By the repeated practice of Vairagya, our mental blocks and negative tendencies are weakened and our mind begins to flow towards wisdom. Repetition leads to Viveka, discerning ...
71 – You Are Never Too Late | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 21:23 - 53 minutes - 24.5 MBLecture By Swami Tattwamayananda. We feel complete restfulness in Nidra, deep sleep and in Samadhi because there is no other. The difference is the lack of awareness of that knowledge in deep sleep. Awareness is important to make knowledge functional. Desire is replayed in sleep and in memory. Forgetfulness can free us from negative memories and memory of spiritually helpful experiences will take us forward. The best way to refine the mind is by doing good physical actions. We change t...
70 – Valid, False, and Imaginary Knowledge All Influence Us | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 21:23 - 1 hour - 30.4 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Patanjali has given us the knowledge to purify and refine the human mind. Mind functions at the level of experiences and reactions. The knowledge of Yoga was transmitted through a succession of teachers and disciples. There are seven major important commentaries in this line. Our mental tendencies, Samskaras, constitute our essential characteristics. The valid tools of knowledge in Yoga are direct perception, inference, and authoritative testimony. Wro...
69 – Yoga: Destroying the Magnetism of the Mind | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 21:22 - 1 hour - 29.2 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. The order of the chapters is explained again. The accomplishments of the three great Yoga sages – Patanjali, Vyasa, Shankaracharya - are reviewed. Vyasa’s description of the mind as a magnet for attracting things is explained. The mind also gets attracted to those things that happen to be around. This magnetic power gives rise to experiences and further vrittis. This accumulation is what prevents us from following through on our sincere desire to lead ...
68 – Experiences that We Identify With Form Our Character | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 21:22 - 1 hour - 30.1 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. When we are not identified with a transcendental ideal, every moment becomes an opportunity to identify with a momentary thought current. The tendencies of the mind and the thought currents they generate naturally reveal our true character. In Asamprajnata Samadhi, we transcend this world of Vrittis. The way is through evolving a higher identity. Asmita is the power of internal identification and Samyoga is that of external identification. Whatever acti...
67- How to Take Life in Its Completeness | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 19:53 - 1 hour - 104 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. This lecture begins with a discussion of the verse I.2, the definition of yoga as transcendence of the mind. When this is achieved, we rest in our true nature. Otherwise, we identify with the momentary experiences of the mind. The five Klesas, or distractions of Avidya, ignorance, Asmita, egotism, raga, obsessive attachment, Dvesa, obsessive hatred, and Abhinivesa, fear are reviewed. We continue rotating in a cycle of Karma, action, Vrittis, Impressions,...
66 – What Is Left is the Buddha | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 19:53 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Atha comes due to the things of life not adding up. The negative movement should be accompanied by a positive progression. The system of vrittis, and the Antahkarana – Manas, Ahamkara, Buddhi, Chittam – is reviewed. It is absolutely to purify the mind of negative desires since “the tiger does come.” You chisel out the unnecessary parts of the rock and what’s left is the Buddha. Our true nature as the witness, aware, non-participating, and self-aware is ...
65 – Atha: The Spiritual Fitness of the Seeker | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 19:52 - 58 minutes - 26.9 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Meaning of words can be conventional or can be etymological. Atha means fitness for taking to spiritual life or Yoga. You can take practice Yamas and Niyamas or take refuge in God to gain fitness. At the end of the dark night of the soul comes complete submission to God. The earlier stages of Kshiptam and Vikshiptam, restlessness, can be overcome. By reaching Nirodha, we become free from conflicts, the cycle of Karma and Vrittis and the duality of exper...
64 – If You Bring Light, Darkness Goes Away Immediately | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 19:03 - 55 minutes - 25.5 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Swami Vivekananda’s example of a worm crawling out of the way of the train is used to illustrate the way human beings have the choice of freedom from slavery to nature. The philosophy of spiritual evolution in Sankhya philosophy as an ascending set of identities is reviewed. Tarakam is the saving inner wisdom. Akramam means it comes all at once, not gradually as in the four stages of traditional learning. In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, it says that if ...
63 – Running Away or Running Towards Something Higher? | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 01:16 - 1 hour - 30.2 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. If we get tempted after reaching a high level of Samyama, we will have to take many more births to get back on the real track. A great king renounced his kingdom but got attached to a baby deer. He had to be reborn as a deer, then as a human being and finally reached liberation. We should always be aware of the dangers. The goal of yoga is not to run away from danger but to run toward something higher: our spiritual ideal. Samyama on individual particle...
62 – Renunciation of Powers Opens the Gate to Freedom | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda
February 23, 2019 01:15 - 55 minutes - 25.4 MBLecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. The lecture begins with a review of the three great Indian sages of Yoga: Patanjali, Vyasa, and Shankara. Samyama on good qualities helps us to regulate all external relations. The ultimate goal of yoga is to go beyond all sense enslavement. This is the meaning of Parinama Dukha and Atha. It is a desire for something higher. That is why the first step of Yamas and Niyamas emphasize the ability to restrain the senses. That discipline allows us to natural...