Swami Rama - Samadhi the Highest State of Wisdom: Yoga the Sacred Science Volume One: 1

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In 1977 the headquarters of the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy was located in Glenview, Illinois, near Chicago. At that time Swami Rama lived at the Institute and was everything to us - guru and loving teacher, father and disciplinarian as required, and the dearest friend one could ever hope to find-"us" being about twentyfive ashramites, living and working and studying under his close guidance. During this period the Institute began an innovative graduate program in Eastern studies. A few of us were allowed to enroll in one course in the graduate school, provided we maintained our other duties. We, of course, chose the course on the yoga sutras that Swamiji was teaching. Of all Swamiji's lectures and seminars that I have had the opportunity to attend over a period of twenty years, none of them made as lasting an impression as the lectures of that yoga sutras course. I have never forgotten the excitement and insatiable thirst for knowledge that those lectures inspired. Swamiji played the role of professor impeccably, coming to class with spectacles and pens and lecture notes. He scolded us and teased us for being dullards as we could not put intelligent questions nor give creative answers to his seemingly unending queries. He presented the material with such love and fire and enthusiasm, we felt as though all the secrets of the mysteries of the universe were being revealed to us and that nothing could ever be thought of as impossible again. I felt the same excitement and sense of awe on being given the opportunity to help organize those lectures along with subsequent lectures on the yoga sutras into a book. While working on the manuscript I realized that Swamiji was always teaching us yoga sutras-how to live in the world and apply the sutras in daily life. Yoga the Sacred Science is an attempt to present those lectures in a form in which their invaluable content can continue to be utilized and savored for many years to come.

We have tried to preserve the original language so that Swamiji's presence is not veiled. Swamiji's lectures were typically not limited to one topic or to a predictable, chronological orderliness. Rather he was very pragmatic and did not hesitate to introduce whatever subject was most relevant to the needs of the attending audience. He often digressed to relay stories of the experiences of his youth and spiritual training to help clarify or emphasize a particular teaching. This style has been maintained as much as possible throughout the book.

Swamiji frequently reminded us that if we want to understand the yoga sutras, we need to understand every sutra from a practical viewpoint. Over and over he stressed the importance of applying these aphorisms in daily life, and reassured us that we really can practice Patanjali's system of yoga and live in the world; there is no need to retire and live in a monastery or somewhere in the caves of the Himalayas. Accordingly, he emphasized the aspects of those sutras that would be most helpful for us novice students who were just beginning the incredible journey within. Swamiji particularly highlighted the therapeutic value of certain sutras and how to apply them to improve the quality of life. The practicums in methods that are therapeutically helpful-breathing exercises, asanas, concentration, and meditation-that Swamiji shared with us throughout the course of the lectures, have been included.

Patanjali repeatedly emphasized the necessity of understanding and learning to control all aspects of the mind and its modifications as prerequisite to attaining samadhi. According to Swamiji, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are the basis of ancient psychology. Swamiji's description of the totality of the mind, the functions of the mind, and the emotions, goes far beyond the concepts of modern psychology, and provides insight into the intricacies of yoga psychology, making this an invaluable edition from the therapeutic viewpoint as well as its practicality as a guide for living a healthy, balanced life.

As the contents of this book have been taken from lecture courses, it is not intended to be a comprehensive, scholarly commentary on the yoga sutras, nor is it an all-inclusive expansion of all one hundred ninety-six sutras. However, it would be a mistake to think that the material in this book is merely preliminary. As with all of Swamiji's writings and teachings, repeated readings reveal deeper and subtler levels of the knowledge of the science of yoga, according to the reader's level of preparedness. Swamiji emphasized the first four sutras in his lectures, as the first four sutras are the nucleus of the yoga sutras, and the rest of the sutras are the expansion of the first four.

Because the material proved to be too extensive to include in one volume, we have decided to make three volumes of Yoga the Sacred Science. The first volume of this narrative adventure into the science of yoga is entitled Samadhi, The Highest State of Wisdom because the major theme of the yoga sutras is how to experience the highest state of wisdom, samadhi. The following volume will focus on sadhana and raja yoga, the practical methods for attaining samadhi. Samyama will be the focus of the final volume.

Barbara Bova

Yoga darshana is one of the most ancient darshanas. The word darshana comes from the root drishyate anena which means, "that through which you can see." That particular system through which you can see Reality is called darshana. Just as you can see yourself in the mirror, so also, through yoga darshana, the yoga sutras, can you see the Self. Darshana is not the same thing as philosophy. Philosophy is a compound word meaning "love for knowledge." Darshana is not a mere love for knowledge. This is one difference between oriental and occidental philosophy: the ultimate goal of darshana is to see Reality.

Yoga science is based on Samkhya philosophy, which is the very basis of all sciences. Samkhya (samyag akhyate) means, "that which explains the whole." Samkhya embraces the whole universe-how the universe came into existence, and all relationships within the universe. It explains human life on all levels - our relationship with the universe, our relationship with the creator who created the universe (if there is any), our relationships with our own mind and our inner being, our relationship with the center of consciousness, and our very existence. Even if a person is agnostic or atheist, they will get something from Samkhya philosophy.