MOVING INWARD FROM CREATION TO HUMAN REALITY THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF YOGA
The wisdom of yoga can be traced to the sacred Sanskrit scriptures that are the Veda. The term Veda comes from the root “vid,” which means “To know” in Sanskrit. In relation to the book of scriptures, the Veda means knowledge of Brahman, the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent Absolute. Brahman is a one, impersonal and all-pervading spirit beyond attributes. Powered by its own energy, Brahman is intrinsically dynamic and as such it is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of the visible universe. In Hinduism, the macrocosm of the universe is deemed to be reproduced in the microcosm of the human body. In respect to humans, the Veda implies that the knowledge of Brahman is the supreme goal of human life and it points the paths to acquire this understanding. It is along these paths that the relevancy of yoga is to be found.
Cosmology
In the beginning, the impersonal, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Brahman was silent. Being intrinsically dynamic, Brahman could not remain quiet and so it expressed itself by creating the cosmos and will sustain it until the universe runs its course. In the end, Brahman will dissolve the cosmos only to start another cycle of creation elsewhere. There is no purpose and no end to these cycles of cosmic creations and dissolutions other than being a reflection of Brahman’s dynamic nature.
Brahman is characterized by the fact that its quintessence is made up of three intertwined elements namely Sat (Being), Chit (Pure Consciousness) and Ananda (Bliss). Sat is associated with matter. Matter within Brahman is composed of three forces known as gunas which are Sattva, Raja and Tama. Before creation, when the universe was not yet manifested (pralaya), the three gunas were in perfect harmony and so matter was inert. Simply because Brahman exists and its nature is intrinsically dynamic, Brahman could not remain quietly still. And so, Brahman generated the vocal sound OM which produced a movement within the three gunas. This movement created a cascade of events during which the intellect (buddhi) was initially produced out of which came the ego (ahamkara). The three gunas rested within ahamkara where sattva combined with raja to form the five organs of knowledge (hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, smelling), the five organs of action (speaking, grasping, walking, excreting, procreating) and the mind. Raja also combined with tama to form the five subtle elements (sound, touch, form, taste, smell) and the five gross elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth)
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Cosmology
In the beginning, the impersonal, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Brahman was silent. Being intrinsically dynamic, Brahman could not remain quiet and so it expressed itself by creating the cosmos and will sustain it until the universe runs its course. In the end, Brahman will dissolve the cosmos only to start another cycle of creation elsewhere. There is no purpose and no end to these cycles of cosmic creations and dissolutions other than being a reflection of Brahman’s dynamic nature.
Brahman is characterized by the fact that its quintessence is made up of three intertwined elements namely Sat (Being), Chit (Pure Consciousness) and Ananda (Bliss). Sat is associated with matter. Matter within Brahman is composed of three forces known as gunas which are Sattva, Raja and Tama. Before creation, when the universe was not yet manifested (pralaya), the three gunas were in perfect harmony and so matter was inert. Simply because Brahman exists and its nature is intrinsically dynamic, Brahman could not remain quietly still. And so, Brahman generated the vocal sound OM which produced a movement within the three gunas. This movement created a cascade of events during which the intellect (buddhi) was initially produced out of which came the ego (ahamkara). The three gunas rested within ahamkara where sattva combined with raja to form the five organs of knowledge (hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, smelling), the five organs of action (speaking, grasping, walking, excreting, procreating) and the mind. Raja also combined with tama to form the five subtle elements (sound, touch, form, taste, smell) and the five gross elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth)
To read this article in its entirety please download the .pdf.
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