Theos-Talk Archives (March 2004 Message tt00078)

In a message dated 03/08/04 5:28:01 PM, stevestubbs@yahoo.com writes:

>I never did like Sankara much. I have studied and worked with his 
>sadhana catustaya for many years, but he said things such as Sudras 
>should have molten lead poured down their throats if they heard 
>anyone sing the Vedas and stuff like that. Not a pleasant man and 
>one with certainly a dark side. I also found his BRAHMA SUTRAS 
>intolerably boring. 

I think his "Crest Jewel of Wisdom" is of great spiritual value. And, no 
one's teachings, taken on their own merits, should be judged based on the 
character or peccadilloes of the teacher. HPB was no angel either, nor was Buddha in 
his life before he sat down under the Bodhi tree. Who wasn't a beast before 
becoming a saint? Maybe you should read the life story of the Tibetan Saint 
Naropa who, supposedly, was their only Master who achieved enlightenment in one 
lifetime. 

>My taste leans more toward Patanjali and 
>especially his commentator Vyasa. He is the one who said meditation 
>consists in stopping the modificatiosn of the mind, which some on 
>this list seem to think is a bad idea. In fact it is the basis in 
>one form or another of all meditation.

Stopping the modifications of mind is not the basis of any form of meditation 
that I know about. I see it as more of less controlling the mind rather than 
stopping it. The idea being that if the mind can hold only one thought at a 
time, the best way to stop the modifications of the miond or uncontrolled 
discursive thinking, is to concentrate and hold a single thought or idea in the 
mind. That is the basis of meditation in any yoga practice. 

I think you have the same problems with the words "modification" and 
"meditation" as you do with "mindfulness" and "discursive" ... In that, you don't 
consider that Patanjali taught (with reference to "hindering the modifications of 
the thinking principle" or mind) to simply observe and let the involuntary 
discursive thoughts in the mind stop by themselves ... And, not to stop thinking 
or meditating on a single ideas or point of concentration in the mind. The 
whole idea is to achieve conscious control of the mind before one can hope to 
achieve enlightenment -- by making it reflective so one can observe the 
reflection of the higher principle. This reflective meditative state is still a form 
of thinking, since the higher Buddhi-Manas becomes awakened and intuition or 
direct preception of ideas is initiated so as to achieve enllightenment. 

In fact Patanjali said in his first two sutras; 1. "Assuredly, the exposition 
of yoga or concentration, is now to be made." 2. "Concentration or yoga is 
the hindering of the modifications of the thinking principle." 

Maybe you should read the William Judge commentaries on Patanjali's yoga 
aphorisms as well as his article on meditation, "The Culture of Concentration."