The title of the lecture :
Yoga and freedom. Vadim Zaporozhtsev.
Date: 2011.03.19.
Where: International Open Yoga University
Brief description: From the lecture you will learn what Advaita; how are our suffering and our ignorance; you will find the wording of all three of the principles of yoga; learn how our mind in the system of human senses. And reflect on how connected our Freedom and our feelings.
Read The Text:
Today, March 19, 2011. My name is Vadim Zaporozhtsev. I taught yoga. We are in Cultural center “Enlightenment” in Moscow near metro Novoslobodskaya. That we have the lectures of the International Open Yoga University. All information on our sites www.openyoga.ru, www.yogacenter.ru, www.happyoga.narod.ru. All of our archival materials and training videos in our online store www.shop.openyoga.ru. The systematic study of yoga from the very first steps to its heights on our online courses www.kurs.openyoga.ru.
Today we continue to consider the theme, which is called “Yoga and Freedom” in its various aspects. Waiting for us today following the study of yoga and of freedom, namely “Freedom and feelings.” We all have feelings positive, negative, painted those or other moments, and there is the concept of freedom. Let us try to analyze how are related these two concepts. But before we go any further, we press the adrenaline button and someone will tell us, and what we did in the previous lecture.
Irina, gr.4: “the last lecture, I discussed the topic of “Freedom and principles of yoga”. We talked about first, second and third principles, gave them the definition and discuss the relationship between Freedom and these principles”.
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “And what do we come from?”
Irina, gr.4: “I remember that, following the first and the second principle, if we feel the satisfaction from compliance with these principles, in this way we come to the third principle of yoga. If we keep the first and the second principle, we naturally abandon suffering.”
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Intricately. And freedom is what does?”
Irina, gr.4: “the Rejection of suffering leads to freedom.”
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “And the first two principles lead to freedom without the third principle?”
Irina, gr.4: “Yes, lead on.”
Olga, gr.4: “We start from the principles of yoga and thus its relative freedom are expanding more and more. The first and the second principle is to slowly sweep the level of ignorance, and the third principle ahead breaking through the shell of ignorance and helps us to reach towards the realization of our higher self”.
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Only I would not say that the third principle applies right through. Just imagine, you walking along and ran into a wall because you are in a plane you can go forward, backward, left or right. And the third principle of yoga – it’s as if you have another dimension up and down. Here you hit a wall, and the first and the second principle sometimes begin to falter seriously, but you took off and landed behind a barrier”.
Anna, gr.4: “the Principles of yoga allow us to use our freedom so our freedom is not reduced.”
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Yes, that is some crutches. While we are still ignorant and don’t realize its Supreme freedom they give us at least some compass like staying in the dark, still free to tailor their actions with this compass and at least not to reduce their freedom at the next step, and at best to increase it.”
Julia, gr.4: “When we discussed the third principle of yoga rejection of suffering, we from the axioms remembered that such a thing as suffering in principle does not exist, and there is pleasure, divided in half, which pushed their foreheads. That is, the concept of suffering does not exist in principle”.
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “No, the concept of suffering just exists. Even axiomatically, there is no concept of quintessence or the essence of suffering. The essence of pleasure is a manifestation of Prana. Prana is. It comes from our ego. She appears either as energy or as consciousness or a harmonious manifestation as pleasure. And here, say, such Antipany not have pain.
In the study of Eastern treatises, such as Shankaracharya, other very respected teachers you will encounter the concept of non-duality, sometimes it is called Advaita. Dwight is a Sanskrit word meaning two, And – a prefix of negation. That is, we are faced with the concept of non-duality that in fact, there is no opposition. That is not to say that there is something inherently evil or there is something originally good, or there is something originally good and bad initially. It’s just not in Universe, not because it is as philosophy declares, but simply do not. And the continuation of all this in a purely practical sense we see in the regulations that there is light but no darkness. Darkness is just the absence of light. Or in other words, what is the basis for happiness, but there is no basis for the unhappiness. That is, if you will meet with habitual whiners, there are people who whine, whine. And they say the whole world is a source of sadness, my whole life is very poor, that is, they like to whine. And when you start to talk to them, they say this whole world is built on suffering. No, friends, the world of perverted pleasures, and this gives birth to suffering. And the world is built on the positive momentum of Prana.
I must say that this is quite a strong philosophy. She shifts the responsibility onto someone else. Usually people in their weakness tend to blame their tragedies on someone else. But a political party is to blame, but blame the Communists, but the capitalists are to blame, but the Democrats to blame, but the blame for the war – that is, everyone starts to blame someone. But if you trace from the position of Advaita, by and large, if you need someone to blame for your suffering, only you, nobody else. And you know, it really is rather unpleasant for many philosophy. Much easier to do nothing, not work on yourself, and to find some source of fatal harm. Remember, there was a popular TV series “Star warriors”, of course, Americans don’t particularly read books, philosophical treatises. To get them to read the Bible, it is a feat, and some other philosophical views is a Professor of philosophy. The whole philosophy is studied where either the movies or the comics. And even in the TV series “Star wars” there was the juxtaposition of the power of light and forces of darkness. And there is no explicit powers of darkness. Everything flows very smoothly and you cannot say where one begins and another ends. The question is, how we use it. Therefore, in axioms to build tips on how to live on things ephemeral madness. Just imagine, you are sailing, and you need to guide beacon. What is a beacon is a light source. You can the light source to build the coordinate system. But to build a lighthouse on the notion of darkness is impossible, because if you do not Shine, if everywhere is equally dark, it is still where to go. That is beacon of darkness never happens. That is exactly the same here in the principles of yoga that tell us that you need time to work, relying on reality, not on what is not, but sometimes it seems that there is. Therefore, the concept of suffering is. Moreover, each of us knows what suffering is. But awareness of the fact, it comes to us very soon”.
Allen, gr.4: “the last lecture we tried to understand how compliance with the third principle of yoga yoga accelerates the process. As I understand it, abandoning suffering, we abandon ignorance, closer to our true essence, to the state of Ananda. And so we can be guests from the future for ourselves from the position we more spiritual to expand our freedom.”
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “I really liked your statement that abandoning suffering, we abandon ignorance. Here in this pressed all quick methods in yoga. That is, the sufferings in our life are dissolved. They are, as it floats in the tea, salt or sugar, and drink tasteless or tasty. And there are the potential. I had such a case, I accidentally instead of sugar in tea added salt, a few spoons, as she liked everything sweet, but not stirred. Top drink normal taste, then, something I did not like, I come to disturb, it was even worse. Friends, ignorance is like a layer of salt on the bottom of a glass of our tea, which we consider to be sweet. You can safely put an equal sign between the rejection of ignorance and rejection of suffering. It is possible to wait for the salt to dissolve and taste it and can not wait. Scoop it and throw. Suffering is compacted ignorance. Remember the saying “In every ointment there is a fly in the ointment”. Even one teaspoon is enough to poison life. Imagine, you fly in the ointment, and the tank rail. And you can so try here, and maybe the next spoon will be sweeter, better. But to abandon the tank. The process of samples of each spoon it will take many, many, many lives. And if you just give up all of tar, you will not need to try. But, unfortunately, people do not understand the transition between ignorance and suffering. If it were not for the ignorance, would never have been suffering. As soon as we get rid of ignorance, suffering disappear, as if they were not.
Sometimes you ask a question, that yogi, who has reached the highest state. It would seem that they have achieved omnipotence. What prevents them for all mankind to take and eliminate all suffering. But there is little fundamental difficulty. To eliminate all suffering of the world is still that to eliminate all ignorance in the world. And to eliminate all ignorance in the world, you can only in one case – to help people to get rid of the ignorance. Why? Because he’s free. And it is in this sense equal in strength. Only a person who has attained the highest state in yoga, he is already aware and consciously use these abilities, and we still use these abilities, and direct them to maintain their ignorance and, as a consequence, to maintain their suffering. Our strength equal to the strength of the absolute and of potentially equal to the force of each person. And we direct that power by which the absolute created the whole world, the advanced yogin uses it in its sole discretion, and we are using the same forces perpetrated their suffering, we are funding their own problems.”
Galina, gr.4: “the last lecture, you have introduced a knowledge by heart of the first, second and third principles of yoga”.
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “the Next candidate of the adrenaline button from the soul itself, praise”.
Irina, gr.4: “I want to praise myself for what I earned money and helped his mother to go to teach English in London.”
The first principle of yoga.
You are required to obey the first principle of yoga. He says. You should make every effort not to harm any living creature unless absolutely necessary. If there is no possibility not to do harm, then you must do as your duty dictates. The first principle of yoga is the essence of the principle of Ahimsa. This principle of sverkhnovye in his personal life.
The second principle of yoga.
You are required to obey the second principle of yoga. He says. You should not waste your energy and direct your consciousness on all that does not lead you to achieving the goal that you have set yourself in your work, school, leisure or yoga. Before you engage in another business, ask yourself, what does it you to your goals, if not, then you should discard it as distracting and unnecessary. The second principle of yoga is the essence of the principle of Brahmacharya. The principle of using logic in private life.
The third principle of yoga.
I refuse to be suffering. Nothing and no one has the right to impose on me sufferings. I will always help all living beings to get rid of suffering, when I have the power to help them.
Or in slightly different words.
I refuse to accept suffering and causing suffering of ignorance. I polishable to my universe was no longer suffering. I’m happy to do everything I can to eliminate the suffering every time I’m confronted with the suffering of living creatures, or when I can help or I’m going to help in removing the suffering of others. But if someone is trying to make me suffer, I will not take this suffering.
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Friends, the wording of the three principles of yoga, they are not as strict as the formula of Einstein, at least for the simple reason that we operate with the language, some words. When translating the more complex definitions such as the principles of yoga, of course, there is a corridor of terms, accents, etc, etc, the main thing is to keep the meaning. So, of course, when you’re quoting the first, second and third yoga principles, may differ in choice of words. But still, it is better to memorize some any option that conveys the meaning. In order not to get confused, not to forget something important. For example, the First principle of yoga is doing no suffering, but then POPs up indirectly the notion of debt, or, as it says, an emergency.
The second Principle of yoga is not just a principle prostraciya their potential prana through consciousness and energy, and the concept of target selection. A goal that is not specified in yoga, still what is the purpose.
Similar situation with the Third Principle of yoga. Here we see the personal rejection of the suffering, personal rejection of ignorance and at the same time complete an active commitment to help other living beings, all those who will valueshave to give up the suffering, we take a vow to help them.
This gives rise to the Principle of Secrecy and the Principle of Openness. How you can help the person to abandon suffering? It is easier to destroy his ignorance. And what’s the easiest way to destroy it ignorance? To convey to him knowledge, and yet much better is to give you my personal experience. Your personal experience is your own experience, it’s not something you read about in smart Indian books, and the fact that you are on the skin has passed.
Choose any wording, moreover, these formulations can be sanded. You know, quite a difficult task for us to state the axioms of yoga and then to Polish every sentence. Well, we can adequately translate from a position of consciousness and energy, position of bhava. So, of course, language can be a lot, but it is necessary for some to stop.
And now we move on to the main topic: “Freedom and Feelings.”
Who will give us a definition of what Feeling?
Anna, gr.4: “Sense is a natural ability of living creatures the instinct which is associated with the preferential development of any of the senses. The five senses is the ability of a person or animal to hear, see, smell, touch, taste. The sense of self-preservation – the instinct of the living entity, which are intended to avoid danger in risky situations. Sixth-sense is an intuitive, unconscious sense of anything. Dignity is the ability of man to protect himself from humiliation, respect for their freedom, dignity”.
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “This is enough, there is already a lead for reflections. Let’s think. Here the world around us. How do we know that it exists? Thanks to our senses. We have five senses, let’s list them: smell, touch, hearing, sight, taste. It is believed that these five basic senses. But in fact there is also known the difficulty, say, if my stomach growled, what is this feeling? Feel, smell? Or more difficult example: here I am in a erotic good condition, what is that feeling? The excitement is understandable. Initiation of what?
In a famous treatise that was written by śaṅkarācārya, which is called Saundarya Lahari, the first part of Soundarya is called Ananda Lahari Lahari. We have in this treatise concise, sublimated yoga in a very poetic form. All my attempts to shed light on Saundarya Lahari and Ananda Lahari, which is the basis of yoga Srividya, they end very strange. Everything that I once did, then left. A few years ago thanks to very great efforts, we found a very adequate book, verified. One Western scholar not lazy, went to India, found all currently available texts on Ananda Lahari, lahari Soundarya, pressematerial its easier to have perefotografirovat them, moreover, moreover tracked, which copy is a product of that. Ie you can determine that it was written from that. Such a tree, branching did. Moreover, he made a sane comment in what is called Prayoga. In fact, Ananda Lahari and lahari Soundarya in addition to its philosophical loads are a treatise on Prayoga. Each of them is the mantra, the giver of their abilities, Sidhi. And, you know, such a plan – a plan Prayogi, friends. As a Kalashnikov rifle.
This text is trying to translate. All the people whom I give the text disappear. Kind of mysticism, I can’t figure out what it is. The book is in English, not even in Sanskrit. Everyone who takes up the translation disappear. Whether Prayoga really strong, and while the old karmic clues will not disengage, there is nothing further to watch. Whether on the contrary, fortunately, very touching this text allows you to rethink all your life and do go back to the old intractable problems to resolve them before going further. I don’t know what it is, but this is very important work still rests on the shelf over there, untranslated, although each of you is needed.
Ananda Lahari and lahari Saundarya it faces, glare, very well represented there Yoga of Love, but really, there is Tantra yoga and Yoga of Sexual Union, a counterpart of the Triad. Its own branch of development went. The book is really very rare, there are provisions that people who consider themselves connoisseurs of Srividya, I don’t know. I know for sure, because I read their works on the subject of Ananda Lahari and lahari Soundarya and, to put it mildly, was inadequate. The circulation is very small and best of all, there are color inserts of the original manuscript. There sat a yogi or Yogini of the middle ages and hand painted it all. There were only four colors. Not as we now have a palette of 250 000 000 in the computer, and the four canonical colors. I must say, not to intrigue, it’s like a little kids paint there uncles, aunts, tree – about the same series.
Is there an aphorism about the bee, more about the follower of yoga Srividya, it sounds like this: “Let me be like the bee has six legs and is completely submersible you mean like a bee in a flower, if the six feet was my six senses”. And here “the Broads! What are the six senses?” We just what you have listed five. Where did the sixth come from? In the definition, which was made, was brought here and hints at a sense of intuition, and hints of self-esteem, there were many derivatives of such terms of feelings to do, but as you know, Shankaracharya, founder of Advaita Vedanta, and in fact, the greatest Teacher of mankind, actually opened his eyes. His language is very logical and concise. About the same language are written in modern treatises on the higher mathematics or theoretical physics. Nothing superfluous, only what is necessary, but so succinctly that you can decrypt, decode, and decipher.
So, for the sixth sense implies the intelligence. Our mind, friends, that we, Western people, used to pray like God. Western man, the nihilist, he replaced the concept of God, in the good sense of God or a sectarian medieval, and in such absolute concept of reason. With all the ensuing consequences that we have in science. In this text, as the Ananda Lahari, the mind is relegated, friends, from the throne of the ruler only to servants, which is formally little different from the senses, such as touch, smell, hearing. It means that we our whole world, indeed, like a bee hexapod touch with with the help of six sense organs and the mind, in fact, stands as one of the senses, as if it were smell, touch, hearing, sight.
And here is a little observation of the great Sankaracarya to consider, knowing treatise of Srividya, which is part of Soundarya Lahari, then everything falls into place and it’s easy to explain the feeling when my stomach growled or feeling when I feel erotic excitement, i.e., added factor of the mind. Not just a set of senses that we call feelings, but also feelings, as the mind. And in this weaving are born the most amazing bouquets. As perfumers, but no, I can’t stand perfumers, dirtied everything that only it is possible, in a subway can’t, as there’s some girl from her like Napalm, all around scatter. I someone said that there is one of the components of chemical formula is equivalent to phosgene. Phosgene is a toxic substance, in the First World War, their people hunted, now perfumes make. I know that if people long engaged in Pranayama, and God forbid, this girl next to pass – all, he had shortness of breath starts, because a very strong impact. Better take a sommelier – the person who determines the bouquet of good French wines. And there are a lot of factors. Was the harvest this year, in a certain province, on the Sunny slope of a hill or on the shaded. There are these nuances – I can not tell you. But all of this is in its unique bouquet and flavor. That is also our life, sometimes layering two, three or more of the senses gives rise to this effect that will be difficult to explain what it feels like. And again, from a formal point of view helps here is the statement by śaṅkarācārya, that would be at least a little I understand.
But the question is, friends, whatever, we attribute mind also to the senses, and let’s analyze, how this is all connected with the notion of freedom. Who wants to think?”
Alex, free the listener: “Good afternoon. I understand that this refers to freedom from exposure to any particular senses, including mind. As I studied yoga, very often made the emphasis on how to become free from the influence of the ego from the influence of the mind. Not to mind, for example, hearing or some other sense of controlled man, and obeyed him. And with these feelings, consequently, could know the world adequately.”
Anastasia, gr.4: “I had this picture that Maya, acting on the senses, it generates the Association. Well, I hear some sound, e.g. wind noise, and I call those or other phenomena, and when we immerse all the senses in the absolute, when we talk, I mind and want to immerse yourself, and see yourself and hear yourself, and feel, then comes Enlightenment, Samadhi”.
Olga, gr.4: “I Wanted to try to associate with the concept of Rita. If all these feelings blend harmoniously and are in harmony, we experience the state of Ananda, happiness, and this brings us to the concept of freedom. Increases our freedom.”
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Well, friends, let’s complicate this moment. Let’s say I saw something, I go down the street, watching the car brand new. “Ahh! I want!” – I tell myself.
Another situation, I walk down the same street, is the same car, but at this moment between me and the car workers carried a large banner ad, they assembled it on the next nut to beat. And so it happened that I, just opposite the car coming, and they dragged in the opposite direction the sign and blocked my view of this car. I saw the banner, the more saw nothing, and went on.
In the first case, I saw this car, I began to think: “I Want to give me money to take, should take, not take – who will give me so much. To steal. Try now steal…” And that’s starting to emerge all these schemes. Around and birds chirping, spring day, girls in miniskirts go, all blooms and smells and, it would seem to me to enjoy life, but my head pain sits thought: “the Car! Car! I want to buy! I want!” How can you call my condition? If this is the state of freedom? Not to say that I’m free.
And here I go, I think about this car, think, think. You know, as a comics draw over your head is a cloud and a car there, and I side by side, open the door, sit down, happy with the wheel. Go go, did not notice and suddenly stumble, naletay the girl in that miniskirt, and look at her – the beauty of the beloved. I have a totally different feel. And suddenly I was visited by the highest love. I stopped like in the movie “Aladdin Lamp”. There Aladdin: “I wish you were attacked by a tiger! I would have killed him!” and all I had a completely different motivation, my lady, I’m a knight, I think, how would I have to tighten my abdomen – I got started going to the gym, started himself in order to bring. Sooner or later yoga started. Has become a to engage and become more physically tough and intellectually ceased to be interested in only cars and football matches, and was on higher to think about girls. It got me to a qualitatively new state. It made me move, and suddenly I realized the degree of my freedom has expanded. I can, like a medieval knight, in the name of the lady to fight with a stick on a horse, and before that in the car hard to climb with his belly. It turns out that also the feeling was that I saw something, but the consequences were very different. Who wants to deliberate further on this subject?
Kate, gr.4: “I think that as we become attached to feelings, feelings – we are not free. When we realize where we have come from these sensations and feelings, we understand where they arise, we can manage them, then we are moving to freedom.”
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Here I do not understand why I have taken love to a lady, for the sake of it a feat, but still, even knowing this coincidence leads to the fact that freedom is extended, and in the case of the car opposite.”
Anastasia, gr.4: “I would like to say that love is a feeling sverdlovini, which I think is not depend on our personal manifestations. Therefore, the fact that you saw the car and fell in love with the car, it’s your personal problem, and the fact that you fell in love with the girl…”
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “… it is the problem of the absolute. Complicated, but it is not even that. The car I saw it with my eyes, walked over, blagogoveyno felt her hands, sniffed, leg kicked, looked in. I have used all of the senses. And just as with the girl. I also saw her eyes.”
Vyacheslav, gr.3: “In my opinion, there is a question of the manifestation of the Supreme. If we see Higher through this girl, it inspires us, makes you to be higher, better, cleaner, to go forward. Perhaps, of course, higher Shine and using the machine, causing to go forward…don’t know.”
Alexander, passive participant: “I think here we are talking about the fact that there is enthusiasm generated by our mind, which is our Higher self in an effort to help our Higher self will be realized as quickly as possible”.
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Well, friends, let us differently. I stump insensitive”.
Andrew, gr.4: “I believe that in that and in other case we are free. In the first case, with the machine, in the second case, a girl. Moreover, both the desire, like all desires, lead us where you need can be intricate ways, ie to develop. If we mentioned the stump who wants nothing and wants nothing, and there is little that the world sees, then the situation is more complicated. If we, the people, want something in this life, then we at least have the desire to develop to achieve cars, apartments, girls; but the stump more difficult. He understands nothing, neither the girl nor the car wants nothing and is still long-long stump. But with us it is simple”.
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Interesting version, I just want a small accent to add in the next lecture, that we will not have time to disassemble. There, somewhere on the horizon because of the veil of Maya leaned out big, big ears and desires, and then again hid myself.”
Paul, gr.3: “I want to say that feelings are manifestations of living beings that we perceive, respond to the outside world. It is necessary to living beings, to make life better. Here is the machine we saw and think we will be okay, when the machine is at our disposal, we will be able to make a good impression on the girl can quickly move in space”.
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “One teacher of Tantric Buddhism once in his lectures brought an example that if you want to win a girl, of course, it is possible for her to chase and try to grab the sleeve, but it is likely to call the police, and if you drive up in expensive cars and get his fat wallet, then you have more chances to attract the girl’s attention. In this way, Yes?”
Paul, gr.3: “Feelings are the manifestation of living beings, and they need to live better.”
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Friends, another aspect: why are we valuable machine? A quick poll, who and why need a car?”
Answers from the audience:
for their freedom
– saves time
– comfort
prestige
Vadim Zaporozhtsev: “Such an interesting thing happens. Feelings reveal some things. Can highlight the machine, can highlight the girl can highlight something else; but the question that to what one we are drawn, and something else not reach. And so what is the connection with freedom? Let this question we answer to another lecture.”