The Yamas of Hinduism and Yoga

The dictionary definition of a yogi is "an adherent of yoga philosophy." One of the most famed yogis in history, if not the most prolific to date, is Patanjali. What is so special about Patanjali? Well, Patanjali wrote a book once, entitled Yoga Sutras. Within the Yoga Sutras, he describes the philosophical basic of raja yoga, which is considered to be the path to a higher mental state and spiritual being through the use of refined mental concentration. There are eight limbs- or deeply meaningful and necessary steps to take, on this pathway of concentration. The very first limb, or step, that one must take is called The Yamas. The Yamas encompass the ideals that a person wishing to achieve maximum unity with their higher calling in the cycle of life and death within the Hindu faith ought to follow morally. It is my understanding that the main focus of the passages which describe The Yamas are worded primarily with regard to how we conduct ourselves among others in this world, and how we are to converse with relation to other people: the preceding thought, the actions that follow, and perceiving their effects in advance.

To quote the author, Mary Pat Fisher,

"Yogis say that it is easier to calm a wild tiger than it is to quiet the mind, which is like a drunken monkey that has been bitten by a scorpion. The problem is that the mind is our vehicle for knowing the Self. If the mirror of the mind is disturbed, it reflects the disturbance rather than the pure light within. The goal of yogic practices is to make the mind absolutely calm and clear."

Thus, Patanjali created a means of simply living with some self-control and self-restraint with your actions. He conjured that by placing a small mental "yama" or "rein," as a rider would on a horse, on yourself, would be worth your while as a means to guide your way through life a little easier.

There are five Yamas. Each with their own unique meaning and depth. They are: Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, and Aparigraha. Ahimsa is kindness. It is the basic idea that one should not do harm to onto others, nor think of inflicting harm on others, or hint toward having the goal, or intention of a literal harm to any other human being. I assume it is listed first, as it is most essential. "Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." - Mark Twain. Satya is truth, or "that which has no distortion." Asteya means non-covetousness, or to not obstruct the desires which others might have for their life. The next, Brahmacharya, describes a faithfulness, selectiveness, a fidelity, and a conscious awareness of the need to discipline the extent of sexual relations in order to not inflict upon, or to taint other's progress or yours. And the last, Aparigraha, entails that a person should limit their possessions and not have them in excess.

The end goal of The Yamas of Hindu yoga practice, and the goal of many Hindu religious texts, can best be described as:

One-pointed concentration ideally leads to a state of meditation. In meditation, all worldly thoughts have dissipated. Instead of ordinary thinking, the clear light of awareness allows insights to arise spontaneously as flashes of illumination. (Fisher)

Sarah

Works Cited will be posted in the following post, as I do not want to miss my deadline.