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The Self in the
Hindu Perspective
Yoga
• Sanskrit for “to unite/join”
• Goal: self-realization w/c occurs when the
mind is calmed, consciousness is turned
w/in & united w/ its source, the Self—the
unchanging essence in each individual
• It is “samadhi”
• Both the goal of union & the methods to
accomplish this
History
• From the ancient pre-Hindu culture of
India, based on the Vedas (earliest date
2500 B.C.)
• The Vedic Period placed great value on
mastery of ecstatic trance & supernatural
powers thru practice of severe austerities,
self-discipline, and self-mortification
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4 Major Sections of the Vedas
• Oldest: Vedic hymns & sophisticated
philosophy
• 2nd: deals w/ rituals & sacrifices essential
to good fortune
• 3rd: forest treaties on contemplation &
inner truth
• Last: Upanishads/Vedanta w/c discuss
the goal of knowing the Self
The Bhagavad Gita
• 1st & most popular work on Yoga
• Part of Mahabharata (2 B.C.)
• A great metaphor for spiritual quest
• Characters represent various
psychological & physical qualities
– 5 brothers = 5 senses
– Battlefield = body & consciousness of person
Metaphorical Dialogue between
Arjuna (ego) & Krishna (Self)
• Arjuna: warrior
• Krishna: his charioteer, an incarnation of God, a
great spiritual teacher/guru
• Krishna recommends action w/o attachment
over inaction & renunciation.
• The mind is the source of all action.
• Ideal: develop a pure mind that is w/o
attachment then all life becomes continual Yoga
practice
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__________ Samkya
• Mainly concerned w/ understanding &
describing various levels of existence
• Goal: not so much to explain the world, but
to help transcend it by developing
discrimination
The Classical Period • Its metaphysics is related to yoga

• From 200 A.D. to 800 A.D.

• The time of the dev’t of the 6 classical schools of Hindu
thought:
– Mimamsa (philosophy of ritualism)
– Nyaya (school of logic)
– Vaisheshika (naturalistic philosophy)
– Vedanta (nondualistic metaphysics)
– Samkya (dualistic philosophy)
– Yoga
• The last 3 are the most influential schools today.
• All 3 have strong links w/ each other.

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Vedanta ________________________________
• Teaches nondualism
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• Describes Reality as a single, indivisible __________
whole
• Vedanta philosophers practice yoga for
spiritual dev’t.

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Yoga
• The classical school is based on the work
of Patanjali (2 B.C.) sage and the author
of at least part of the Yoga Sutras.
Major Concepts
#1. Spirit and Nature
• Every human being is a combination of
these 2 principles.
• Body and mind come from Nature
• The transcendental Self comes from
Spirit (Purusha  pure consiousness)
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#1. Spirit and Nature, more
• Spirit
– Knows no limitations or qualifications
– Includes consciousness w/in & beyond the
universe
– The manifestation of Spirit in the individual is
the Self—unaffected by physical or mental
activity
– However, the mind distorts our awareness of
the Self.
#1. Spirit and Nature, more
• Nature
– “Prakriti”—means “that w/c brings forth”
– The ground from w/c all material forms spring
– Also the source of all nonmaterial forms
including thoughts & emotions
#1. Spirit and Nature, more
• The Transcendental Self
– In each individual is Spirit in essence
– It is pure awareness/pure consciousness
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 #1. Spirit and Nature, more
• Ideal of Yoga:
– To seek joy from its source—the Self w/in
(parable of the musk deer)

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#2. Three Principles of Creation
• Nature has 3 primary constituents or
principles (the 3 gunas):
– Tamas (inertia)
– Rajas (activity)
– Sattva (clarity or light)
#1. Spirit and Nature, more • These 3 function together to generate all
activity.
• Self-realization is the uncovering of the
Self that is hidden by our identification w/
the forms generated by Nature, including
the body & the subtle forms such as mind
and emotions.
• “Everyone is the Self and, indeed, is
infinite. Yet each person mistakes his
body for his Self.” –Ramana Maharshi

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#2. Three Principles of Creation,
more
• E.g., process of creating a statue:
– Tamas—the untouched inner stone
– Rajas—the act of carving
– Sattva—the image in the sculptor’s imagination
• All 3 are essential:
– pure tamas alone is inert, dead matter
– Pure rajas is energy w/o direction or goal
– Pure sattva is a plan that remains unrealized
#2. Three Principles of Creation,
more
• Every individual exhibits some balance among these 3
qualities, though most people are dominated by one of
them.
• Virtually everything can be classified in terms of the
gunas:
– rich or heavy foods are tamasic-heavy to digest & cause laziness
& sleepiness
– Spicy hot foods are rajasic-lead to activity, strong emotions or
nervousness
– Fresh fruits & veggies are sattvic-promote calmness
– Mountains & ocean shores are sattvic-suitable for spiritual
practice
#3. Consciousness (chitta)
• The mind w/c embraces all thought processes
• Yoga as “controlling the activities of the mind” –
Patanjali
• Final goal: to focus attention on the Self
• When mental processes (or waves of
consciousness) are active, the Self is obscured,
like a bright light suspended in churning water
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#3. Consciousness (chitta), more
• Yoga practices
– Quiet the waves of consciosuness and calm
the mind by control of the body, breathing
techniques
– Once body and mind are clam and
disciplined, awareness of the Self is
possible.
#4. Karma
• Means action and also its reults
• Principle: every activity brings w/ it certain
consequences; every individual’s life is
influenced by past actions. The influence
happens in part thru the creation of
subconscious tendencies.
#4. Karma, more
• To avoid the formation of new
subconscious tendencies or the
strengthening of old ones, a yogi refrains
from “acting out.”
• Ideal: acceptance & transmutation of
negative action & thought into positive
action & thought
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 #5. Subconscious Tendencies
(samskaras)
• Control of the waves of consciousness is
possible only when the samskaras are
diminished.
________________________________ • Goal: complete reformation of
consciousness; otherwise, the samskaras
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#6. The Guru (to “uplift”)
• A spiritual teacher who can uplift a
student’s consciousness
• Master of disciplines that affect one’s
whole life & character
• A disciplinarian who pushes the students
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__________ #6. The Guru (to “uplift”), more
• A mirror exposing faults & limitations, but
always remaining conscious of the
essential purity & perfection of the Self
behind such limitations, thus fosters the
student’s emotional & psychological dev’t
• Most important attribute is spiritual
consciosuness
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________________________________ #7. Initiation
________________________________ • Self-realization is not possible w/o
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________________________________ initiation w/o a qualified guru
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3.
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4.
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8.
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Schools of Yoga
Karma-yoga: the Yoga of action
Jnana-yoga: the Yoga of knowledge
Bhakti-yoga: the Yoga of devotion
Hatha-yoga: the Yoga of the body
Mantra-yoga: the Yoga of sound
Laya-yoga: the Yoga of meditation
Kundalini-yoga: the Yoga of energy
Raja-yoga: the royal Yoga of mind & body

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Dynamics of Self-Development
• Psychological growth: Western stereotype
of a yogi
• Hindu ideal: spiritual growth is a balanced
life of worldly service & responsibilities
plus the practice of spiritual discipline
• Types of ascetics & sages: ascetics
practiced austerities & other disciplines

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Dynamics of Self-Development,
more
• The ancient rishis or sages emphasized the importance
of sacrifices & hymns.
• Patanjali outlined 8 limbs of Yoga:
–
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Abstentations
Observances
– Postures
– Vital energy control
– Interiorizations
– Concentration
– Meditation
– Illumination
4 Stages of Life (in the classical,
idealized life cycle of the sage)
1. The Student
– Serves as an apprentice
– Character building thru emotional & spiritual
discipline
– Goal: to become a mature individual, fully
equipped to live a harmonious & productive
life, rather than remain a slave to one’s
moods, habits, and drives
 4 Stages of Life (in the classical,
idealized life cycle of the sage)
2. The Householder
– seeks satisfaction in family pleasures, in
achieving vocational success, and in serving
the community as an active, responsible
citizen
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4 Stages of Life (in the classical,
idealized life cycle of the sage)
3. Forest Dweller
– Gradual retirement from family & occupational
affairs
– When spouses are over 50
– Remain available to their family when needed
4 Stages of Life (in the classical,
idealized life cycle of the sage)
4. Renunciation
– Entrance to this stage is marked by a ritual
closely resembling funeral rites
– Officially dead to all social obligations and
personal ties
– Free to pursue self-realization w/o external
demands or restrictions
 4 Stages of Life (in the classical,
idealized life cycle of the sage)
• Self-realization: depends on the goal of the
particular branch of yoga
• For all paths: back to the source of
consciousness—the Self
• For Yoga literally means “union” w/ the Self,
illumination
• Obstacles to Growth: 5 major afflictions
– Gross form-thought waves (of fear, desires, etc.)
– Finer aspects-subconscious tendencies (to fear,
desire
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________________________________ The 5 Major Afflictions
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1. Ignorance
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– The basis for all suffering is ignorance of our
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effects. Ignorance thinks of the perishable
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________________________________ the painful as pleasurable, of the non-Self as
Self.” (Yoga Sutras, II: 4-5)
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________________________________ The 5 Major Afflictions, more
________________________________ 2. Egoism
________________________________ – Results from the identification of the Self w/
________________________________ the body & the thoughts
– “Egoism is the identification of the Seer with
________________________________ the limitations of the eye.” (Yoga Sutras II: 6)
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 The 5 Major Afflictions, more
3-4. Desire and Aversion
– Patanjali’s simple & elegant defintion: “Desire is
longing for pleasure. Aversion is recoiling from pain.”
(Yoga Sutras II: 7-8)
– Desire and aversion bring about attachment to
whatever increases pleasure or reduces pain.
– Attachment arises from the feeling that we must have
something for our own pleasure or fulfillment
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________________________________ The 5 Major Afflictions, more
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3-4. Desire and Aversion
________________________________ – The idea of nonattachment is to enjoy whatever one
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loss or sorrow.
________________________________ – One who has mastered nonattachment enjoys the
________________________________ present w/o trying to change it by wishing for more
pleasure or less pain.
________________________________ – “Satisfying the sensory desires cannot satisfy you,
because you are not the senses. They are only your
__________ servants, not your Self.”

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 The 5 Major Afflictions, more
5. Fear
– “Fear is constant natural terror of death
that is rooted even in the minds of the
learned.” (Yoga Sutras II: 9)
– “Fear of death is constant in the mind, and as
desire and aversion are the result of some
experience in the past, so is the fear of death
the result of dying in the past.” (Purohit, 1938)
The 5 Major Afflictions, more
5. Fear
– Fear stems from identification w/ the
perishable body instead of the imperishable
Self.
– “The knowing Self is not born; it does not die.
It has not sprung from anything; nothing has
sprung from it. Birthless, eternal, everlasting,
and ancient. It is not killed when the body is
killed.” (Katha Upanishad, I:ii, 18)
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Structure of the Self in Yoga
• Body
– Regard for it varies w/ schools
– From outright rejection to appreciation
– Most advocate a moderate approach, neither
indulgent or unduly ascetic.
 Structure of the Self in Yoga, more
• Social relationships
– Each one has his duty in this world, carried out
whether as renunciation or service to others. The
Divine has many faces.
– From sociocultural conditioning to spiritual growth
– After achieving self-realization, the yogi is in society
but not of society
– Newfound freedom comes from being grounded in the
Self
Structure of the Self in Yoga, more
• Will
– Involves tapas, ascetic discipline and austerity, as
one goes beyond comfortable limits and overcomes
tendencies of self-indulgence and restlessness.
– “True freedom consists in performing all actions in
accordance w/ right judgments & choice of will, not in
being compelled by habits.” -Yogananda
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Structure of the Self in Yoga, more
• Emotions
– 2 types: painful waves & nonpainful waves.
The latter can counter the former.
– Goal: eventually transcend even the positive
emotions. Why?
 Structure of the Self in Yoga, more
• Intellect
– Attaining understanding through experience
– “Do not confuse understanding w/ a larger
vocabulary…”
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Essence of Yoga
• The reformation of the psyche thru a
system of concrete, practical exercises
designed to transform our consciousness
• Yoga exercises work w/ subtle energy flow
in a uniquely direct way.
• As the energy & consciousness of the Self
flow outward, they become distorted by a
series of lenses, our subconscious
tendencies, habits, personality, and so on.
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Essence of Yoga, more
• Subconscious tendencies bias our
thoughts, w/c then affect our actions.
• Action patterns become habits. Habits
reinforce distorting lenses.
• Then the Self w/c is pure joy, pure love, &
pure bliss, cannot be made manifest w/in
our consciousness or in the world.
Essence of Yoga, more
• Yoga practice aims to reduce the distortion
& direct the flow of consciousness to its
source, the Self.
• To reduce distortion, we cleanse our
bodies & personality tendencies. Specific
practices are suggested by different
schools.
Essence of Yoga, more
• Yoga practice slows the flow of subtle
energy & consciousness from the Self to
the environment & begins drawing this
consciousness back inward.
• By turning inward (esp. in raja-yoga and
kundalini-yoga), we begin to get in touch
w/ the Self, w/ joy, bliss, & purity.
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The 7 Chakras
#1. Muladhara (root support)
• Located at the base of spinal column
• Associated w/ element earth, birth of
sound, lower limbs, the mantra lam, the
elephant (strength), sense of smell
• Portrayed as a deep-red, 4-petaled lotus
• It is is the location of the dormant
kundalini.
#2. Svadisthana (own-base)
• Situated several inches above the 1st
center
• Associated w/ the element water, color
white, the hands, the mantra vam, a
crocodile-like animal (fertility), sense of
taste
• Is pictured as a crimson, 6-petaled lotus
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#3. Manipura (jewel-city)
• Located at the level of the navel
• Related to the element fire, the sun, anus,
the mantra ram (fiery energy), & the sense
of sight
• Depicted as a bright yellow lotus of 10
petals
#4. Anahata (unstruck)
• Located at the level of the heart
• The name of this chakra comes from its
association w/ transcendental sound, w/c
is “unstruck”.
• Associated w/ color red, the element air,
the penis, the mantra yam, a black
antelope (swiftness), sense of touch
• Drawn as a blue lotus of 12 petals
#5. Vishuddha (pure)
• Located at the region of the throat
• Associated w/ the element ether, the color
white, the mouth & skin, the mantra ham,
a snow-white elephant (pure strength),
sense of hearing
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#6. Ajna (command)
• Situated in the brain, midway between the
eyes
• Is the seat of cognitive faculties, the
mantra om, the subtle senses, & sense of
individuality
• Represented by a downward pointing
triangle and a pale grey, 2-petaled lotus
Sahasrara (thousand-petaled)
• Located at the top of the head
• Not actually part of the chakra system
• Is a body-transcending center where
consciousness is connected to the human
form
• Represented by a thousand-petaled lotus
Sahasrara (thousand-petaled),
more
• The 7th center includes the brain.
• When the brain is stimulated & energized
by kundalini, the individual experiences a
tremendous change in consciousness, an
experience of bright illumination, or
samadhi, “the blossoming of the
thousand-petaled lotus”.
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