On Yoga Philosophy

1. Introduction
Yoga philosophy has its origin in ancient India. It predates sage Patanjali who compiled it in the form of aphorisms. It offers a way to eliminate suffering from the lives of its practitioners. It claims that all suffering can be eliminated through self-development achieved as a result of the realization of a higher identity. One achieves a limited potential because of one's limited sense of self-worth born of one's body-centered identity. Yoga philosophy offers a way of achieving a much higher potential through a heightened sense of self worth.

Original Sanskrit terms are used where appropriate. They are defined at their first occurrence. A glossary is given in the last section.

2. Premise
In yogic terminology, the term duhkha is used to collectively imply sources of suffering such as anxiety, distress, depression, pain, disease, grief, stress, etc. Its opposite is suhkha which denotes all bliss and joy. Life ordinarily consists of duhkha and suhkha.

Yoga philosophy is based on a premise which consists of the following statements:

1. Duhkha is undesirable and should be avoided,
2. There is a reason for duhkha,
3. Duhkha can be avoided, and
4. There is a way to avoid duhkha.

3. Cause of Duhkha
Yoga philosophy claims that the way to eliminate duhkha is through the elimination of its cause which it refers to as avidya. This term generally means misconception and the yogic reference is towards the misconception about one's identity. Yoga philosophy defines avidya as a state of mind which makes us treat transient as permanent, sources of grief as sources of joy, impure as pure, and makes us search for ourselves where we are not. It is avidya which is the cause of our limited body-based identity while we, in fact, are a manifestation of the limitless. It is avidya that makes us regard our temporary pleasures as the means of enduring happiness. It is avidya that makes us behave as if our bodies are going to last forever. And it is avidya that makes us search for ourselves in external pursuits while our essence lies buried deep within. It is avidya that, according to yoga philosophy, is the cause of our body-based identity leading to limited self-esteem.

4. Cause and Effect Hierarchy
The process by which avidya leads to duhkha is as follows:

1. Avidya first results in asmita - a concept of I (individual identity) that is body-centered.
2. This concept of I causes raga (attachment) to things pleasant and comfortable and dvesha (dislike) of things unpleasant and uncomfortable. The term dvesha can also mean envy. We start getting attached to the body itself, leading to abhimana (pride). Then, we lose sight of what is good for us when we enjoy pleasures and comforts of life or burn with envy to see others more successful than we are. This myopic vision results in subsequent grief and suffering.
3. Raga and dvesha cause fear. We become afraid of losing things that we regard as pleasant and of gaining those that we regard as unpleasant. Finally we become afraid of death - loss of what we regard as the focus of our being, the body. Fear, in general, and abhinivesha (fear of death), in particular, compounds the effects of our myopic vision leading to even more duhkha.

5. Birth of Avidya
According to yoga philosophy, the body is only a partial manifestation of our whole selves. When we experience the first ray of consciousness, the body is the only thing we perceive. We grow up identifying ourselves merely with the body while subtle and significant parts of our identity lie dormant. Yoga philosophy regards this as the basic misconception.

Yoga philosophy regards body as extremely limited. Identity that is based on something so limited leads to a grossly limited sense of self-worth. Yoga philosophy claims unlimited human potential based on developing true identity as opposed to an identity that we receive from nature at birth.

6. Nature of Avidya
When we are born, we have little knowledge. It does not mean that we have to live with ignorance. We can eliminate ignorance by education as we grow. In the same manner, avidya is not something one has to live with. Yoga philosophy states that avidya, although we are all born with it, is just a state of mind that can be changed. Just like education presents opportunities and increased potential, Yoga philosophy promises an unlimited increase in potential and opportunities by the removal of avidya.

Yoga treatises also use viprayaya vritti to explain the term avidya. Viprayaya means opposite and vritti means tendency. Thus, avidya may be regarded as a congenital tendency to perceive things as they are not and not to perceive things as they are (contrary perception). Just like a congenital disease, it can be cured. Yoga philosophy offers this cure.

Knowledge is the nature of all conscious beings. But the knowledge one acquires may be correct or incorrect. It is correct if it is consistent with reality, otherwise it is incorrect. Correct knowledge is based on correct perception. One needs vishudha buddhi (perfect intelligence) to decide whether a perception is correct or incorrect. Yoga philosophy states that avidya is annihilated in the light of vishudha buddhi.

What is vishudha buddhi? Vishudha buddhi is the power of correct perception. Buddhi is the discriminative or decision-making faculty. Vishudha means pure. Vishudha Buddhi (clear vision) may be defined as decision making power that is devoid of all biases due to asmita and its offspring - abhimana, raga, dvesha, and abhinivesha. Yoga philosophy also uses the term viveka to describe vishudha buddhi. Viveka means the power to decide between pairs of opposites such as correct and incorrect, cause and effect, real and imagined, etc.

We all know that we are not equally sharp at all times. Our buddhi has many modes. According to Yoga philosophy, buddhi has five modes (tendencies):

1. Viprayaya: opposite or contrary perception. In this mode, we tend to perceive the opposite of reality.
2. Pramana: proof. In this mode, buddhi is able to perceive things as they are or make correct decisions.
3. Nidra: sleep, dysfunctional.
4. Vikalpa: indecisive.
5. Smriti: memory. In this mode, a decision is arrived on the bases of past experience.

Avidya has been described as viprayaya vritti. This is the dominant mode in general since this is the first mode we all experience. Switching to pramana mode as the dominant mode is, therefore, the way to the removal of avidya that is the goal of yoga philosophy.

Yoga philosophy provides three methods of proof used by buddhi in pramana mode to decide between correct and incorrect perceptions:

1. Pratyaksha: direct observation by intellectual vision or the third eye.
2. Anumana: inference.
3. Aagama: testimony of those who had direct perception of the object of your search in the past. The research done by past seers (those who had direct perception) is compiled and published. Published knowledge of seers is also based on direct perception although of others and not of the seeker himself. There is nothing to compare with the direct perception of the seeker himself.

During the development of vishudh buddhi, our consciousness evolves by passing through different stages. The first stage is that of buddhi (intellect). In this stage, our consciousness is attached with our body centered identity. Next stage is called pragya (wisdom). In this stage, we are not driven by the biases due to our body centered identity but at the same time not free of them also. Our thinking is clear and sharp. The last stage is called pratibha (intuition). Literal meaning of pratibha is "to enlighten its own cause". In this stage, we develop an intuitive insight into the object of search. Doubts and their resolutions, arguments and counter arguments are merely exercises used by the lower stages of buddhi.

7. Yoga Methods
Yoga philosophy provides four methods of developing vishudha buddhi in order to remove avidya and establish the intellect in the pramana mode:

1. Method of Raja Yoga: This method is also known as the Abhyasa Vairagaya method. The word abhyasa means practice and the word vairagaya means detachment. This method involves developing vairagaya to counter raga . The theory is that once raga is eliminated, dvesha and abhinivesha will automatically disappear leading to the elimination of asmita. Once that happens, the seeker is free of all biases to discover his true identity in the light of vishudha buddhi. He then validates his discoveries using those of others before him and using inferential logic. He tries again if he finds discrepancies and inconsistencies to resolve them until satisfied.

2. Method of Laya Yoga: This method is also known as the method of Ishwara pranidhana (surrender to God). In this method, the seeker surrenders to God and He, through His grace, provides him with a clear vision to find the answers he seeks.

3. Method of Kriya Yoga: This method combines Ishwara pranidhana, tapa (austere life), and swadhyaya (self-study). Austere living develops vairagaya. Swadhyaya means study of self and direct discovery of the true self-identity. Ishwara pranidhana and tapa clears the vision and swadhyaya leads to the discovery of the new identity.

4. Method of Ashtanga Yoga: Ashtanga means eightfold. Eightfold practices of this method involve:

• Niyama: Disciplined and principled life,
• Yama: Righteous behavior to others,
• Asana: Physical exercises,
• Pranayama: Breathing exercises,
• Pratyahara: Exercises to turn inwards,
• Dharna: Concentrated thinking about one and only one subject,
• Dhyana: Contemplation, and
• Samadhi: Meditation - period of clear vision with nothing but deep intuitive insight about the subject of contemplation.

All yogic methods involve increasing the attention span by concentrated thought, leading to the development of a deep intuitive process of clear vision.

8. World View of Yogic Seers
Yoga philosophy describes the different milestones that a seeker meets as he progresses on a prescribed path. Of particular interest is the description of the state of mind of a seeker who has arrived at his destination and who has had a direct perception of his true identity.

He knows and declares that he is not merely the body which he occupies at a point in time, but Brahma (the Universal Principle) Itself. Not only he, but everybody else is, in essence, Brahma also. Not only humans but everything else also, animate and inanimate alike including the body, are in essence just Brahma. The whole universe is nothing but the manifestation of Brahma which appears in different forms, including our consciousness and our emotions.

He understands that the body, being subject to the laws of nature, is the only finite and limited aspect of his identity. His inner faculties, once freed of avidya, are not subject to any such limitations and are infinite and limitless just as Brahma Itself.

This newly discovered identity is the source of the unlimited potential of which the seer sees himself as capable. All of his actions are motivated by his feeling of unity with the rest of the universe and none by the erstwhile raga, dvesha, and abhinivesha. This unity in diversity is the source of the bliss that he enjoys and of the universal love he feels in his heart. He understands the changes that occur in manifested nature and is not afraid of death which he sees as merely a change of the body for his true self. He devotes his life to goals higher than merely his own immediate needs and makes a true contribution towards improving the human condition.

9. Conclusions
Yoga philosophy promises a new identity for the practitioner who develops vishudha buddhi to eliminate avidya. This new identity leads to a heightened sense of self-worth and is much bigger than the limited and narrow body-centered sense of identity. It offers practical methods of achieving what it promises.

Yoga philosophy offers mankind a higher goal of life. We all understand artha (wealth, or means of security) and kama (enjoyment) as worthwhile human endeavors. Seers, by giving us a code of religion and righteousness, have tried to bring order to the pursuit of artha and kama by adding Dharma to the set of worthwhile human pursuits. Yoga philosophy contends that one's pursuit of religion and righteousness will always be tainted by raga, dvesha and abhinivesha which are always going to be present as long as one identifies one's being with the body. Yoga philosophy offers the concept and challenge of moksha (freedom from bondage and limitations of body-centered identity) as the highest goal for human life without the achievement of which it declares that the earnest pursuit of righteousness is impossible.

10. Acknowledgment
This article is based on the book entitled Basic Principles of Yoga by Brahmarishi Vishvatma Bawra, translated from Hindi by R. N. Dubey and published by Divine Radiance Publications of Virat Nagar, Pinjore, Haryana, India.