Yog and Viyog
Yog is the experience of oneness. It is living in the lap of the one and only.
It is becoming one with it. In this state all desires are fulfilled. There are
no desires left unfulfilled. It is a state of complete fulfillment, of stillness
and silence. It is also called Samadhi, nirvana, satori, enlightenment etc. The
names do not matter. There is peace, anand (bliss) and clarity. I leave it to
you to add to the picture.
Viyog is separation. In the worldly experience it is the separation from the
loved one, the cherished one. It may be a person, wealth, position or name and
fame. It causes a longing, a desire, a passion to action. It is the cause of
suffering, of dukha. In the spiritual sense it is the longing for union with our
roots, our source, our maker. This also causes suffering. There is no difference
in the two although it is made out that spiritual longing is of a higher order
than worldly desire. In both action is driven by the belief that there is light
at the end of the tunnel. Both demand a rigorous discipline to be observed for
ultimate success. In both we get nothing but disappointment although it is made
out by some and their cronies that they are enjoying success and glory. They
entice many others by their stories. Haven't we heard of the fable of the fox
who lost its tail?
Most of us are in the state of viyog. We feel deprived and denied. We feel
justice has not been done to us. We feel that we deserve better. This breeds
anger, jealousy, envy etc. We are then willing to adopt any means to achieve
what we deserve. There are many theories and shastras eulogizing these methods.
Chanakyas' "sam,dam,dand, bhed" is followed by many in India. There are many
followers of Machiavelli in the west. Divide and rule has been practiced by all
colonialists. Beg, borrow (not to return) or steal is a very popular mantra of
many an entrepreneur. A businessman friend of mine told me in all seriousness
that it is foolish to do business with ones own money.
The practice of Yog begins where we are; in viyog. Most of us are trapped in the
duality of mine and yours. Hence the practice of Yam-Niyam is recommended as a
foundation course. These are a set of values. They have to be practiced as a set
simultaneously, not sequentially, one at a time. Practiced as a set they
function as a trampoline and allow us to try out more rigorous practices like
asana, pranayama etc without fear of hurting ourselves. Without the practice of
Yam-Niyam these other practices can lead us astray. We may get into a
competitive rat race very similar to what we experience in the material world.
I will present the practice of Yam-Niyam in detail in a later article.
Namo namah, till then.
Ganoba

Form and Transformation
It is important to know the relationship between these two. In the absence of
this clarity we confuse between the real and its shadow, between the essential
and the superficial. Then we chase the image and end up with disappointment and
its progeny.
So let us come to the basics. Transformation is an on-going process that creates
the world of forms. Form is the end product tangible to the human senses.
Because human senses are limited, form suffers from the same limitations. It
appears to be stable but in reality it is subject to continuous transformation.
The rate at which it is changing is a variable creating the illusion of
permanence and transience.
We identify closely with form because it appears to be stable and we are dubious
about change. While we want change, we are also afraid of it. Our body,
particularly the visible outer part of it, is the embodiment of form. Is it
constant? Obviously it is not. It is constantly changing. So we cannot really
call it an end product. It is a thing in process. What do we value then; what we
are or what we are going to be. This is how the debate between being and
becoming goes on.
Transformation appears illusive, particularly when it happens at a leisurely
pace. When it happens rapidly as in a tsunami or an earthquake it is scary.
Leaving aside human perception we will notice that it is the source of creation.
It is the creator and the created universe, as also the process that permeates
the two. We see ourselves mostly as part of the created world. Then we
experience the helplessness of a lifeless object. We are not part of the change.
We are subject to change which is brought about by someone more powerful than
us. We begin to look outwards for all that we wish to have. The world of duality
comes into being. Leaders, Preachers, Gurus and the like, thrive on this. In so
doing we create the ground for suffering.
To liberate ourselves from this we need to realize that we are Form in the
process of Transformation. All objects with a form are then related to each
other. Separated from each other they are vulnerable and weak. Taken together as
a whole they are creation itself. The individual being is just one step from the
creator. This step is one of realizing the illusion of our individual existence.
As we embrace all we become the one.
Aham bramh asmi.
Ganoba

Awakening
That I am not just a body is obvious. When a person dies a vital energy leaves
the body. It no longer resides in it. What is left is a dead body. It does not
feel or think. It has no control on any functions. It cannot initiate or
respond. It cannot even take care of itself. It will soon begin to disintegrate.
It has to be disposed off in a manner such that it does not become a nuisance to
others.
We have given some names to this vital life force, like Pran or Chaitanya or
consciousness or atman or god. None of us really knows what it is. The words
seem to create an illusion of understanding, of being learned and wise. I know
what it is, when I am silent. But the moment I try to describe it for the
benefit of some one else using words it vanishes into nothingness. It winks at
me and gives me a mischievous smile, as if to say, "Let the secret be between
us." May be each one of us has a special relationship with our maker and it is
not to be generalized into some ism.
That is probably one reason why we have ideological disputes. Bhakti, which is
an expression of love, seems to get diluted when it is put into a standard
package. We all are natural singers and dancer. However, this talent is stifled
when some one decrees that we can do so only if we can do it to certain
standards. The creator urge then turns reactive and violent. This gives the
standard bearers justification for their despotic dictats.  A vicious cycle is
thus set up. The spark in me has become a flame, a torch. Compassion that leads
to sharing has turned into a passion to possess. The divine has turned into a
devil.
Let us become silent for a while and remain still. No reaction, not even a
response. Let the celestial song and dance, which is anyway going on non-stop,
come to sway. Let the mysterious one come to the fore. Let me dissolve in it.
Let all vibhakti (separation) come to an end. Let the bhhakt arise and awake.
Ganoba
In a trance