Yoga Vasishta

[Bodhicitta]

The only full translation of 1891 by Mitra is now online and revised a little into smoother English.  Also available are a one volume book version (Lulu $50) and free mobi & e-pub editions.

 

http://yogavasishta.org/home.html

[Peramadi]

Ah... Reading chapter 13 on the great Kak Bhushunda is heartwarming.  This is truly the only book ever needed for self-realization, imho.

 

Thanks for the link.

[Bodhicitta]

Yes, Bhushunda knows all and tells much...

 

“Bhushunda — Bhushunda is an ancient, Self-realized crow who has survived countless cycles of creation and dissolution. Vasishta visits Bhushunda who tells the story of his birth. He was one of twenty brothers born when the crow Chanda mated with seven swans who are the divine vehicles of god Brahmā. Bhushananda describes numerous creations and dissolutions, many Creators, Shivas and Vishnus, and many incarnations of the personality of Vasishta, Rama and other sages and avatars. Underlying reality, he explains, is the principle of vital air, and this becomes an occasion to elaborate on pranayama. (VI-A.14-27)”

 

[Bodhicitta]

A summary of the work by B.L. Atreya; the last 3 lectures have the philosophy & metaphysics.

https://archive.org/details/Yogavasisth ... phy_201709

[Bodhicitta]

A leading needed virtue, self-reliance:

 

Quote

II 4 O Rama, listen to what I [Vasishtha] am about to say, which instruction is sure to remove the darkness of ignorance. A well-sustained self-effort leads to success in every field of life. Wherever one encounters failure, it is due to lack of self-effort.

Liberation produces selflessness; we lose our selfishness when we come to know the unity of the soul. By effort one can attain knowledge which leads to salvation. This is obvious; but what is called God, destiny or fate is fictitious and is not seen. The dull and the ignorant created God, which is none other than self-effort of a past incarnation affecting one.

Self-effort, Rama, is that mental, verbal and physical action which is in accordance with the instructions of a holy person well versed in the scriptures. This will reveal the moon of spiritual bliss beyond the dark clouds of mental impurities. Such effort, continuous and constant, gives good results, all the rest is sheer madness. The goal of self-effort is Self-realization.

It is only by such effort that Indra became king of heaven, that Brahma became the creator, and Vishnu and Shiva earned their place. When right self-effort is sustained, one rises to that lofty state wherein ruling the vast earth is known as insignificant compared to the glory of Self-realization.

II 5 Self-effort is of two categories: that of past births and that of this present birth. Past efforts can be counteracted by current labors. There is constant conflict, like battling rams, between these two in this incarnation. That which is more powerful triumphs. Men of self-effort, by firm and long practice, can undo the past effort.

Self-effort which is not in accord with the scriptures is motivated by delusion. To go against scriptural injunctions will lead to disasters. Mental desire alone, without the needed action, is pure lunacy. It will not only be useless, but it will lead to further delusions.

There is no power greater than right action in the present. Hence, one should take recourse to self-effort, gritting one's teeth, and one should overcome evil by good and destiny by present effort. Even obstructions presented by the devas are due to bad actions in past lives.

One’s effort must be maintained until the past negative karma is overpowered. The virtues of this life are bound to overcome the vices of past lives. Therefore, one must cultivate serenity, self-control, reflection and meditation by his self-effort.

 

[s1va]

14 hours ago, Bodhicitta said:

A leading needed virtue, self-reliance:

 

 

 

While I truly appreciate the Yoga Vasishta, the quoted text above talks only about self reliance and effort.  Is self effort of jiva or individual enough for self realization? What about surrender, letting go and the divine grace?  Is it all just a matter of self effort only? Can we overpower maya, which is a divine force just by self effort?

 

In Gita, Krishna states, the maya of  his divine energy is very difficult to overcome.  But he also assures on the same verse, those who let go of their individual self will and surrender to the divine, can easily bypass and get through.

 

"My divine energy Maya, consisting of the three modes of nature, is very difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto me cross over it easily." -  (daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te)".

[Bodhicitta]

19 minutes ago, s1va said:

 

While I truly appreciate the Yoga Vasishta, the quoted text above talks only about self reliance and effort.  Is self effort of jiva or individual enough for self realization? What about surrender, letting go and the divine grace?  Is it all just a matter of self effort only? Can we overpower maya, which is a divine force just by self effort?

 

 

Self-effort is only a 'leading virtue', not the only one.  Also Rishi Vasishta taught many paths - not sure if 'surrender' is one he emphasized much.  He did mention surrendering one's attachment to worldly feelings & ideas though.

[Bodhicitta]

There are four main paths to Liberation, any one of which will be successful, if self-effort is pursued correctly & consistently:

 

Quote

There are four methods of crossing over the ocean of worldly existence, namely. Tranquillity {sama). Contentment {samtosa), Company of the good or the wise {sadhu-sanga), and Thinking {vicara). (II, 16, 18.) They are so related to one another that, if one of them is fully acquired, others will inevitably accompany it. One should, therefore, make effort in acquiring any one of them thoroughly. (II, 16, 22.)

 

From B.L. Atreya's big study, Philosophy of YV, page 136

[Bodhicitta]

Another good source is The Vision and the Way of Vasistha a condensation by Atreya that was not put into English until recently. See Samvid's translation in the Samata Books edition which has the Sanskrit for each verse also.

[Still_Waters]

On 10/29/2018 at 11:20 AM, s1va said:

 

While I truly appreciate the Yoga Vasishta, the quoted text above talks only about self reliance and effort.  Is self effort of jiva or individual enough for self realization? What about surrender, letting go and the divine grace?  Is it all just a matter of self effort only? Can we overpower maya, which is a divine force just by self effort?

 

In Gita, Krishna states, the maya of  his divine energy is very difficult to overcome.  But he also assures on the same verse, those who let go of their individual self will and surrender to the divine, can easily bypass and get through.

 

"My divine energy Maya, consisting of the three modes of nature, is very difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto me cross over it easily." -  (daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te)".

It has been a long time since I read the Yog Vashistha, but one part that really commanded my attention was the story of Lila and the King which gave insights into the nature of the mysteries of Life and Death. If anyone would like to discuss that story,  I would be very receptive to hearing any insights regarding it.

 

Regarding the subject of "surrender", I noticed that Bodhicitta mentions that there are four methods to "cross the ocean of worldly existence" but that he doesn't think that the Yog Vashistha emphasizes "surrender". It is my understanding that all four methods ultimately lead to "surrender" but, having said that, it is important to define "surrender" as I see it. (There may be other definitions so one must be clear about what one means by "surrender".) Thinking (vicara) is helpful for the intellectual (dominant within myself along with bhakti and karma "service" yoga) until one realizes that which lies in the stillness/silence beyond thoughts, thought-conception, and discursive-thought. When one gets even a glimpse of this "beyond", two other methods (contentment and tranquility) spontaneously arise on the path of jnana. The company of the wise is simultaneously helpful as that often provides food for meditation. Eventually, one reaches a point where thinking subsides and one attunes to (or "surrenders") to that which lies beyond it all --- the "not knowing" of the Zen Master Bodhidharma as he responded to the Emperor of China. My practice specifically employs the intellect to reach that point where the intellect is no longer really needed.

 

For a Bhakti who is devoted to a chosen deity such as Lord Shiva, "surrender" accomplishes the same thing but for a different reason. Bhakti is indeed the easiest path for crossing over, and is most recommended for the masses. However, the Bhaktis generally can't help others along the path unless the others are also Bhaktis. More often than not, they simply tell the devotee to surrender and add nothing more. Nonetheless, that is sufficient in many cases.

 

It is my understanding that all roads lead to the same "destination" (the Alpha and the Omega) in this "journey without distance". In my opinion, methodologies may differ but aware, alert understanding of the stillness/silence (the "cloud of unknowing" in mystical Christianity) is the key. Of course, if one can tap into the Universal Mind and navigate it, there is much more conventional knowledge to be gleaned in the "ocean of existence".

Edited November 9, 2018 by Still_Waters

[s1va]

1 hour ago, Still_Waters said:

It has been a long time since I read the Yog Vashistha, but one part that really commanded my attention was the story of Lila and the King which gave insights into the nature of the mysteries of Life and Death. If anyone would like to discuss that story,  I would be very receptive to hearing any insights regarding it.

 

Regarding the subject of "surrender", I noticed that Bodhicitta mentions that there are four methods to "cross the ocean of worldly existence" but that he doesn't think that the Yog Vashistha emphasizes "surrender". It is my understanding that all four methods ultimately lead to "surrender" but, having said that, it is important to define "surrender" as I see it. (There may be other definitions so one must be clear about what one means by "surrender".) Thinking (vicara) is helpful for the intellectual (dominant within myself along with bhakti and karma "service" yoga) until one realizes that which lies in the stillness/silence beyond thoughts, thought-conception, and discursive-thought. When one gets even a glimpse of this "beyond", two other methods (contentment and tranquility) spontaneously arise on the path of jnana. The company of the wise is simultaneously helpful as that often provides food for meditation. Eventually, one reaches a point where thinking subsides and one attunes to (or "surrenders") to that which lies beyond it all --- the "not knowing" of the Zen Master Bodhidharma as he responded to the Emperor of China. My practice specifically employs the intellect to reach that point where the intellect is no longer really needed.

 

For a Bhakti who is devoted to a chosen deity such as Lord Shiva, "surrender" accomplishes the same thing but for a different reason. Bhakti is indeed the easiest path for crossing over, and is most recommended for the masses. However, the Bhaktis generally can't help others along the path unless the others are also Bhaktis. More often than not, they simply tell the devotee to surrender and add nothing more. Nonetheless, that is sufficient in many cases.

 

It is my understanding that all roads lead to the same "destination" (the Alpha and the Omega) in this "journey without distance". In my opinion, methodologies may differ but aware, alert understanding of the stillness/silence (the "cloud of unknowing" in mystical Christianity) is the key. Of course, if one can tap into the Universal Mind and navigate it, there is much more conventional knowledge to be gleaned in the "ocean of existence".

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts in response to my post.  I have slightly differing ideas about the destination and the roads leading to it.  I don't think there is any fixed destination, I started a thread recently in general forum with the title, it's a moving target.  There is infinite expansion in my view.  Not all paths lead to the same exact states also.  Some paths are more limited than others.

 

 

[Still_Waters]

9 hours ago, s1va said:

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts in response to my post.  I have slightly differing ideas about the destination and the roads leading to it.  I don't think there is any fixed destination, I started a thread recently in general forum with the title, it's a moving target.  There is infinite expansion in my view.  Not all paths lead to the same exact states also.  Some paths are more limited than others.

 

 

Perhaps "destination" is not the best word and that's why I also used "journey without distance" which actually sounds paradoxical but isn't. That is the problem with words.

Edited November 10, 2018 by Still_Waters

[Michael Sternbach]

13 hours ago, s1va said:

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts in response to my post.  I have slightly differing ideas about the destination and the roads leading to it.  I don't think there is any fixed destination, I started a thread recently in general forum with the title, it's a moving target.  There is infinite expansion in my view.  Not all paths lead to the same exact states also.  Some paths are more limited than others.

 

 

 

For the most part, I agree to this. Although there are not a myriad different things that can grow from a single seed. Say, if it's an apple tree seed, expect nothing other than an apple tree to grow from it!

 

That said, different ways are suitable for different individuals. Moreover - and kind of paradoxically - the more they develop their individuality, the more universal they become.

 

For the Divine resides at the very centre of any individual.

 

As an aside, 'vasishta' phonetically coincides with the question "what's that?" in Swiss German. A mere coincidence, but kind of a funny one...

[Still_Waters]

7 hours ago, Michael Sternbach said:

 

That said, different ways are suitable for different individuals. Moreover - and kind of paradoxically - the more they develop their individuality, the more universal they become.

 

For the Divine resides at the very centre of any individual.

 

 

I am learning to be more precise with my terminology here as Truth cannot be fully or adequately expressed in words.

 

I do, however, agree with you that "different ways are suitable for different individuals". That is one of the reasons why I love the Bhagavad Gita since it indicates various ways which are suited to those of different dispositions.

 

Verily, "the Divine resides at the very center of any individual" and discovering that is actually what I meant by the "same destination" and the "journey without distance" in my prior post. It's more of a "discovery" than a "destination". I am definitely learning to be more precise in my terminology.

[dwai]

2 hours ago, Still_Waters said:

 

I am learning to be more precise with my terminology here as Truth cannot be fully or adequately expressed in words.

 

I do, however, agree with you that "different ways are suitable for different individuals". That is one of the reasons why I love the Bhagavad Gita since it indicates various ways which are suited to those of different dispositions.

 

2 hours ago, Still_Waters said:

Verily, "the Divine resides at the very center of any individual" and discovering that is actually what I meant by the "same destination" and the "journey without distance" in my prior post. It's more of a "discovery" than a "destination". I am definitely learning to be more precise in my terminology.

Beautiful!  How far do you have to travel to find your Self? When will you find your Self? Neither time nor distance is needed. Your Self is ever present. 

 

 

[Still_Waters]

On 11/10/2018 at 10:15 AM, dwai said:

 

Beautiful!  How far do you have to travel to find your Self? When will you find your Self? Neither time nor distance is needed. Your Self is ever present. 

 

 

"Your Self is ever present". What more can one add to that?