Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega, Vol 1

Discourses on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, During the early 1980’s it was planned to publish the “Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega” volumes as “Yoga: The Science of the Soul”. Only the first three volumes were actually published, the title stayed as “Alpha and Omega” for the other seven volumes.

Talks given from 25/12/73 pm to 10/05/76 am English Discourse series

1 Introduction to the path of Yoga 2 The desireless path of yoga 3 Five modifications of mind 4 Beyond mind to awareness 5 Right and wrong knowledge 6 The purity of yoga 7 Constant inner practice 8 Stop, and it is here!9 Practice and desirelessness 10 The cause of your misery

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1 Introduction to the path of Yoga

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 1 Introduction to the path of Yoga 25 December 1973 pm in NOW THE DISCIPLINE OF YOGA. YOGA IS THE CESSATION OF MIND. THEN THE WITNESS IS ESTABLISHED IN ITSELF. IN THE OTHER STATES THERE IS IDENTIFICATION WITH THE MODIFICATIONS OF THE MIND. We live in a deep illusion – the illusion of hope, of future, of tomorrow. As man is, man cannot exist without self-deceptions....

10 The cause of your misery

< Previous | Contents ‌CHAPTER 10 The cause of your misery 4 January 1974 pm in The first question: Question 1 HOW IS IT THAT YOU DESCRIBE THE LIFE THAT IS REALLY OURS, AND WHICH YOU HAVE TRANSCENDED, SO CORRECTLY AND IN EVERY DETAIL, WHILE WE REMAIN SO IGNORANT OF IT? IS IT NOT PARADOXICAL? It looks paradoxical, it is not – because you can understand only when you have transcended....

2 The desireless path of yoga

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 2 The desireless path of yoga 26 December 1973 pm in The first question: Question 1 YOU SAID LAST NIGHT THAT TOTAL DESPAIR, FRUSTRATION AND HOPELESSNESS IS THE BEGINNING GROUND FOR YOGA. THIS GIVES YOGA A PESSIMISTIC LOOK. IS THIS PESSIMISTIC STATE REALLY NECESSARY TO BEGIN THE PATH OF YOGA? DOES AN OPTIMIST ALSO BEGIN WITH THE PATH OF YOGA? It is neither....

3 Five modifications of mind

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 3 Five modifications of mind 27 December 1973 pm in THE MODIFICATIONS OF THE MIND ARE FIVE. THEY CAN BE EITHER A SOURCE OF ANGUISH OR OF NON-ANGUISH. THEY ARE RIGHT KNOWLEDGE, WRONG KNOWLEDGE, IMAGINATION, SLEEP AND MEMORY. Mind can be either the source of bondage or the source of freedom. Mind becomes the gate for this world, the entry; it can also become the exit....

4 Beyond mind to awareness

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 4 Beyond mind to awareness 28 December 1973 pm in The first question: Question 1 YOU SAID THAT THERE ARE ONLY TWO ALTERNATIVES FOR MEN, EITHER MADNESS OR MEDITATION, BUT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ON THE EARTH HAVE NOT REACHED TO EITHER OF THE TWO. DO YOU THINK THEY WILL? They have reached! They have not reached to meditation, but they have reached to madness!...

5 Right and wrong knowledge

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 5 Right and wrong knowledge 29 December 1973 pm in RIGHT KNOWLEDGE HAS THREE SOURCES: DIRECT COGNITION, INFERENCE AND THE WORDS OF THE AWAKENED ONES. WRONG KNOWLEDGE IS A FALSE CONCEPTION NOT CORRESPONDING TO THE THING AS IT IS. AN IMAGE CONJURED UP BY WORDS WITHOUT ANY SUBSTANCE BEHIND IT IS VIKALPA – IMAGINATION. THE MODIFICATION OF THE MIND WHICH IS BASED ON THE ABSENCE OF ANY CONTENT IN IT IS SLEEP....

6 The purity of yoga

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 6 The purity of yoga 30 December 1973 pm in The first question: Question 1 YOU SAID THAT PATANJALI’S YOGA IS AN EXACT SCIENCE, ABSOLUTELY LOGICAL, IN WHICH THE RESULT IS AS CERTAIN AS TWO PLUS TWO MAKE FOUR. IF THE ATTAINMENT OF THE UNKNOWN AND INFINITE, CAN BE REDUCED TO MERE LOGIC, IS IT NOT TRUE AND AT THE SAME TIME ABSURD THAT THE INFINITE PHENOMENON IS WITHIN THE ORBIT OF THE FINITE MIND?...

7 Constant inner practice

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 7 Constant inner practice 31 December 1973 pm in THEIR CESSATION IS BROUGHT ABOUT BY PERSISTENT INNER EFFORT AND NON- ATTACHMENT. OF THESE TWO, ABHYASA THE INNER PRACTICE IS THE EFFORT FOR BEING FIRMLY ESTABLISHED IN ONESELF. IT BECOMES FIRMLY GROUNDED ON BEING CONTINUED FOR A LONG TIME, WITHOUT INTERRUPTION AND WITH REVERENT DEVOTION. Man is not only his conscious mind. He has also nine times more than the conscious, the unconscious layer of the mind....

8 Stop, and it is here!

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 8 Stop, and it is here! 1 January 1974 pm in The first question: Question 1 PATANJALI HAS STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF NON-ATTACHMENT, THAT IS, CESSATION OF DESIRES, FOR BEING ROOTED IN ONESELF. BUT IS NON-ATTACHMENT REALLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY, OR AT THE VERY END? The beginning and the end are not two things. The beginning is the end, so don’t divide them and don’t think in terms of duality....

9 Practice and desirelessness

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 9 Practice and desirelessness 3 January 1974 pm in THE FIRST STATE OF VAIRAGYA, DESIRELESSNESS – CESSATION FROM SELF- INDULGENCE IN THE THIRST FOR SENSUOUS PLEASURES, WITH CONSCIOUS EFFORT. THE LAST STATE OF VAIRAGYA, DESIRELESSNESS – CESSATION OF ALL DESIRING BY KNOWING THE INNERMOST NATURE OF PURUSHA, THE SUPREME SELF. Abhyasa and vairagya – constant inner practice and desirelessness: these are the two foundation stones of Patanjali’s yoga....