Reflecting - Pratipaksha Bhavana (continued) YS II - 34

Yoga Sutra II- 34 - VITARKA HIMSADAYAH KRTA KARITANUMODITA LOBHA KRODHA HOHA PURVAKA MRDU MADHYADHIMATRA DUHKHAJNANANANTA PHALA ITI PRATIPAKSHA BHAVANAM - When negative thoughts or acts such as violence, etc. are caused to be done or even approved of, whether incited by greed, anger or infatuation, whether indulged in with mild, medium or extreme intensity, they are based on ignorance and bring certain pain. Reflecting thus is also pratipaksha bhavanam.

Swami Satchidananda states that this sutra is a further explanation of pratipaksha bhavanam (entertaining a counter-idea). Swami Satchidananda's commentary for the sutra tells us that "We need not even cause the pain directly for the reaction to occur. We can effect this just by approving of another's painbearing actions due to our avariciousness, anger or ignorance."

So in other words, even when we don' t directly cause others pain we can still contribute to it. And thus, if we reflect on what the consequences of what our actions could cause, even indirectly, a reflection of this is considered pratipaksha bhavanam.

The following quotations from "How to Know God - The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali" translated and commented on by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood gives similar commentary:

"Everything we do, say or think, or even indirectly cause or passively sanction, will inevitably produce consequences -- good, bad, or composite-- and these consequences will react in some measure upon ourselves. Our most secret ill-wishes towards others , our remotest permission of evil done to others, can only end up hurting us, by increasing our own ignorance and pain. This is the absolute law of Nature. If we could remember it always, we should learn to control our tongues and our thoughts."

Pratipaksha Bhavana - Switch Thoughts - YS II - 33

Yoga Sutra II- 33- VITARKA BADHANE PRATIPAKSHA BHAVANAM- When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite [positive] ones should be thought of. This is pratipaksha bhavana.

In the commentary section by Swami Satchidananda on this sutra, he states that "Pantanjali gives us a very nice clue on how to control the mind and obstruct thoughts we don't want. The best way, he says, is to invite opposite thoughts." Satchidananda goes on to illustrate situations like a disagreement in a marriage. He suggests to go to the place you worship, like a "shrine", sit at your alter and read something inspiring. Or simply changing the environment by leaving the room, even check on your child (if you have one). " It is very difficult to control negative thoughts while staying in a negative environment unless we have extraordinary strength"

He also talks about thinking about the "after-effect" if one continues to let the negative thought or action continue, such as how the anger or negativity will affect you as well as others. This could be done through self-inquiry.

Related posts:

• Staying Positive - YS II - 33
• Thoughts As Eyeglasses - YS II - 33

What is your Life Saver? YS II - 33

What is your life saver? Technically one would picture a ring like in the picture on this post. A life saver is defined by www.thefreedictionary.com/lifestaver as :

1. an attendant employed at a beach or pool to protect swimmers from accidents and or
2. a life preserver in the form of a ring of buoyant material

Then you might wonder how does this apply to you? As you know, if you are a reader of this blog, that this blog entitled "Always Be Om," consists of yoga related information related to this theme. So in that context I am now using the live saver as a metaphor.

What got me to think of this subject is the energy of the time we are living in. According to the news we are in" a recession". This is affecting everyone, depending on how they see as I spoke about in the posts on "Thoughts as Eyeglasses" and "Taking Pictures". Thus, whatever we choose can fall between "Bondage and Liberation" for us.

So getting back to the original question of what is your life saver, for me it is my yoga practices. Case in point my practice of swadhyaya, self study which includes studying the yogic texts like the Guru Gita, which is latter part of the Skanda Purana. (The Guru Gita is a Hindu scripture of 182 verses, authored by the sage, Vyasa. It is a part of the larger Skanda Purana.) You can also see the post I did on swadhyaya.

I was feeling a little down noticing some thoughts I was having. I won't go into detail about the thoughts as what you focus on expands, however I do acknowledge the process. So I applied pratipaksha bhavana (a Sanskrit term)- When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite ones should be thought of. Pratipaksha bhavana is a method which is given as a clue to control and obstruct thoughts in Yoga Sutra II - 33 - VITARKA BADHANE PRATIPAKSA BHAVANAM .

I had not sat down and chanted the Guru Gita for a long time, even though I do play the CD of it from time to time. So I sat down and recited this text. I cannot begin to describe how much better I felt! My focus was no longer on the thoughts I had or how I was going to solve the situation. I was studying my Self and refreshing my self with the text of the Guru Gita. This was better than attempting to numb myself with other alternatives, which as a yoga teacher I do not do anyway. But one can see pretty much that when others do not know of yogic/or other healthy alternatives that they may attempt to "escape" through other means such as drugs, alcohol, food, shopping,etc.

So hopefully I can probe you to ask yourself what do you use as a life saver? Is it a positive tool? Again for me, my tools are the many branches of yoga which are really life savers.

Stay tuned. Check out the workshop I will be doing on 12/14/08 at http://www.bometernally.com/

Thoughts As Eyeglasses - YS II - 33

In contemplating this post today I thought about eyeglasses or rather the lens of how we see. Think about your thoughts as eyeglasses in the sense that whatever thoughts you have is how you see your world. For example if your glasses are smudgy, you will not see clearly. Or if your glasses are colored yellow or red, then you will see those colors. If the eyeglasses are broken then your vision is even more impaired. In the same way if your thoughts are of a certain nature, it will affect your outlook. If happy thoughts it will affect how you see and do things. If you are having angry thoughts that will affect the different encounters you have during your day.

There is much value in staying positive with Pratipaksha Bhavana (a Sanskrit term)- When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite ones should be thought of. So in other words, change your glasses. If you cannot see out of the smudged one, clean it. In order to be aware of what thoughts you are wearing, the practice of dhyana or meditation comes in handy. Take the time to become mindful in order to see what thoughts are arising.

Become aware of the breath and to to learn how to sit and witness the process of the thoughts. This awareness can become our new lenses.

Staying Positive - YS II - 33

The statement 'Staying Positive' is easier said than done. Being aware of the news forecasts everyday telling us that people are losing their jobs and houses, rents are going up, the stock market is going up and down, morality declining. If one studies yogic terms in relation to the times we are living in, it is referred to as Kali Yuga. The energy of all these events affects us.

So this is where I talk about the use and the study of yoga. In book 2 of the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, line 33 it is stated'Vitarka Badhane Pratipaksha Bhavanam'. The translation is When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite(positive) ones should be thought of. In the commentary section by Swami Satchidananda on this text, he states that "Pantanjali gives us a very nice clue on how to control the mind and obstruct thoughts we don't want. The best way , he says, is to invite opposite thoughts." Satchidananda goes on to illustrate situations ie. in a marriage; reading something inspiring, meeting a special person, or simply leaving the environment!
He also talks about thinking about the "after-effect" if one continues to let the negative thought or action continue, such as how the anger or negativity will affect you as well as others. I remember being impressed learning this sutra.

This made me think of when my children were smaller and one day we were walking in the street. I had one child in the stroller and the other walking with me. As we continued down the block, we were approaching a couple in a very loud argument with on-lookers present. I remember feeling very agitated as we got nearer and it was not convenient to cross the street. I then started to silently repeat my mantra (chanting, prayer) as I passed these people. It was after I had gotten further down the street that I realized how that focus, that shift of thought had somehow shielded me from the negativity I had just navigated through to pass them. It was amazing! I never forgot that experience. So of course the practice of pratipaksha bhavana - replacing negative thoughts with positive ones has become one of my tools that I carry.

So just take a deep breath which will help you to start observing quickly which way you can change your situation and stay positive.