nastya
Yoga dictionary. Vivec
And from the absolute point of view, these concepts are very conditional. What in one situation is poison to one person is medicine to another, and Vice versa. And the concepts of good and evil, right and wrong often turn into dogmas that cause no less harm than the absence of any principles and rules at all. In his philosophical treatise on yoga, Patanjali described such a phenomenon as “Viveka”. And this is the key to understanding how to distinguish black from white. Moreover, it is the key to understanding that life is not a black-and-white film and in addition to these two colors there is a whole range of colors.
In Sanskrit, Viveka means ‘discrimination’. This concept is revealed in Sutra 24, Chapter 4. One of the most curious translations of this Sutra is that of falkow, and His version of the Sutra reads as follows:”for one who has attained mastery of discernment, the contradictions of the nature of the soul are mitigated.” The point is that all contradictions exist only at the level of the mind. Continue reading
Yoga dictionary. Kaivalya
In the modern world there are many interpretations of this concept. Freedom can be on the economic level, mental, material, spiritual and so on. In most cases, when it comes to freedom, it means the ability to get what you want without any restrictions and act as a particular individual sees fit. And in this case, the freedom of the individual is determined by the boundaries of his desires and fantasies. And since no desire can be fully satisfied (either because of lack of resources or because of limited sensory perception), such freedom is very illusory.
What is Liberation, of which there is much talk in the various branches of yoga and Dharmic religions? Patanjali in his philosophical treatise fully reveals this concept not from a material but from a transcendental point of view. Continue reading
Yoga dictionary. Dukkha
Patanjali in his Yoga sutras pays much attention to this. He considers such a term as “Dukha”. Also, this term is widely used in Buddhism, being one of the Central concepts of the Four Noble Truths proclaimed by the Buddha Shakyamuni. However, Patanjali considers such a phenomenon as Dukha in more detail and explains the causes.
From Sanskrit the term “Dukha” can be translated as `restless dissatisfaction`, `painful experience`, `anguish`, `unbearability`. The most popular translation for the Russian language is `suffering’, but this word does not fully reflect The essence that dukha carries. It is a deeper concept than mere suffering. Suffering often refers to specific painful experiences that arise from physical or mental discomfort. Dukha, on the other hand, means rather a tendency of the mind which arises for two reasons: because of the impermanence of the world and because of attachment to something or someone. Continue reading
