Jnana Yoga
Jnana Yoga is the form of Yoga that aims to achieve perfect knowledge, that is, the knowledge to perceive the absolute reality beyond the mere appearances of the world.
Jnana means knowledge and by knowledge it isn’t the one which students imbibe at school or by doing research. Knowledge here is spoken of in the sense that one would see the underlying reality in everything there is in the world.
In the practice of Jnana Yoga, reality is not that which is tangible and that can be perceived. Reality is not composed of the pleasures that one experiences and the material things that one sees and accumulates.
The reality being spoken of here is the so-called Absolute Reality which is also called the Sat. The Absolute Reality is the one which is not constrained by time or space; the reality that exists in the past, present, and the future; and it is the unchanging reality that has no beginning, middle, or end.
Seeing and realizing this Absolute Reality strips off the world of its appearances. Once stripped off of it, the world becomes less and less desirable and the desire to perceive the Absolute Reality becomes stronger.
But how does one see the Sat or the Absolute Reality? No, one doesn’t have to retreat to the woods and literally leave the world, or at least the civilized world. There is a means to be lured away into the illusions of the world and cease to be worldly. The means is called Sadhana Chatushtaya or the Four Means of Salvation.
- Viveka – this the first stage of salvation. This is where one learns how to differentiate the real from the unreal, the permanent and the things that are passing, and the self and the non-self. Viveka is achieved by the Grace of God alone. The Grace is achieved by realizing and allowing oneself to be an instrument of God.
- Vairagya – also called the stage of Dispassion, this is the stage where one learns how to detach himself or herself from things that are temporary.
- Shad-Sampat – this is the stage of the sixfold virtue: the Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Sraddha, Samadhana.
- Sama – tranquility of the mind when desires are eradicated.
- Dama – rational control of the senses.
- Uparati – the conscious effort to veer away from the desire for sensual enjoyment.
- Titiksha – the endurance in bearing heat and cold, pain and pleasure, among others.
- Sraddha – the faith in one’s Guru, the Vedas, and the self.
- Samadhana – this is the part where one practices perfect concentration.
- Mumukshutva – when all the three previous means of salvation have been achieved, the desire to be free from the wheel of births and deaths will come, the Mumukshutva.
When one achieves the four stages, he or she should approach the Guru who will then guide the person on the knowledge of his or her real nature.
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Basics & Backgrounds
in Dutch
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