The Language of Consciousness In Ancient India

Contemporary Hindu culture originated primarily with the Aryans who invaded India about
1500 B.C. bringing with them the Sanskrit language and the Vedic religion. However, for at
least 1000 years prior to this invasion, there existed a culture in India about which we know
very little.

The cities of the Indus river valley left no large monuments and although they did have a
written language, it has not yet been translated. From some fragmentary evidence that does
remain, scholars conclude this early culture contained within it many elements that were later
incorporated into the Hindu religion.

The Language of Consciousness

The exploration of consciousness has developed to a remarkable degree in the Hindu culture.
In fact, the Sanskrit language has shown itself to be sufficiently precise in describing the
subtleties of consciousness exploration that many Sanskrit words, with no adequate English
equivalents, have become commonplace in our own contemporary culture. Consider for
example these terms:

asanas: postures used to stimulate flow of life-force through the body and to aid meditation.

atman: The human soul or spirit -- the essence of the inner being.

ahimsa: The doctrine of non-violence toward sentient beings.

akasha: The ether; primordial substance that pervades the entire universe; the substratum of
both mind and matter. All thoughts, feelings, or actions are recorded within it.

Brahman: Hindu god who represents the highest principle in the universe; the essence that
permeates all existence. Brahman is the same as atman in the philosophy of the Upanishads.

dharma: One's personal path in life, the fulfillment of which leads to a higher state of
consciousness.

dhyana: The focusing of attention on a particular spiritual idea in continuous meditation.

guna: A cosmic force or quality. Hindu cosmology maintains that the universe is composed of
three such qualities: satvic, meaning pure or truthful; rajasic, meaning rich or royal; and
tomasic meaning rancid or decaying.

Ishwara: Personal manifestation of the supreme; the cosmic self; cosmic consciousness.

karma: The principle by which all of our actions will effect our future circumstances, either in
the present or in future lifetimes.

mantras: Syllables, inaudible or vocalized, that are repeated during meditation.

maya: The illusions the physical world generates to ensnare our consciousness.

moksha: The attainment of liberation from the worldly life.

mandala: Images used to meditate upon.

nirvana: The transcendental state that is beyond the possibility of full comprehension or
expression by the ordinary being enmeshed in the concept of selfhood.

ojas: Energy developed by certain yogic practices that stimulates endocrine activity within the
body.

prana: Life energy that permeates the atmosphere, enters the human being through the
breath, and can be directed by thought.

pranayama: Yogic exercises for the regulation of the breath flow.

samadhi: State of enlightenment of superconsciousness. The union of the individual

consciousness with cosmic consciousness.

sadhanas: Spiritual disciplines. Practical means for the attainment of a spiritual goal.

samsara: The phenomena of the senses. Attachment to samsara leads to further rebirth.

siddhis: Powers of the soul and spirit that are the fruits of yogic disciplines.

soma: A plant, probably with psychedelic properties, that was prepared and used in ritual
fashion to enable men to communicate with the gods.

tantras: Books dealing with the worship of the female deities and specifying certain practices
to attain liberation through sensuality, particularly through the heightened union of male and
female energies.

yoga: This is the Sanskrit word meaning union and refers to various practices designed to
attain a state of perfect union between the self and the infinite.

The Discipline of Yoga

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali prescribe a system of eight stages, or limbs for one's higher
development. The first two limbs are known as yama and niyama. They involve a highly
ethical and disciplined lifestyle -- control, indifference, detachment, renunciation, charity,
celibacy, vegetarianism, cleanliness, and non-violence. The third step involves the
development and care of the body through the use of exercises and postures called asanas.
The fourth stage involves pranayama breathing exercises. The next stage, pratyahara,
involves meditation, by means of which one withdraws consciousness from the senses.

The fifth limb of yoga is called dharana which means concentration. An object of
contemplation is held fixedly in the mind; it must not be allowed to waver or change its form or
color -- as it will have a tendency to do. Often the yogi will concentrate on different chakras or
focal points within the body. Self-analysis is used to observe breaks in concentration. Often
he will carry a string of beads and one is pulled over the finger every time a break begins. The
next stage of dhyana occurs when the sense of separateness of the self from the object of
concentration disappears and one experiences a union or oneness with that object. In the
final stage, samadhi, one experiences an absolute, ecstatic cosmic consciousness. This does
not, as some suppose, entail a loss of individuality. "The drop is not poured into the Ocean;
the Ocean is poured into the Drop." The self and the entire universe are simultaneously
experienced.

In the past decades, Western scientists have begun to study the abilities yogi practitioners
can achieved. Body functions such as heartbeat, temperature, and brainwaves, that which
had been previously thought of as totally autonomic, have been shown to be under the
conscious control of some yogis. This research has paved the way for the newly emerging
science of consciousness which will be discussed in Sections III and IV.