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Yamas of the Yoga Sutras

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I have been thinking about the yamas, also known as abstentions or ethical restraints. The five yamas are ahimsa (non violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (not taking what is not given to you), brahmacharya (celibacy), and aparigraha (renunciation of unnecessary possessions) (243). Ideally, according to Vyasa (a commentator on the yoga sutras), all other yamas are for “purifying ahimsa” (nonviolence). This first limb, along with the second limb of niyamah (moral constraints) are thought to correspond with karma yoga, says Iyengar in the foreword (ix, directly after table of contents). According to the Bhagavad Gita, any one of the four yogas, karma, jnana, bhakti, and raja, is capable of leading to enlightenment. Karma yoga is the path of action, following your dharma and observing ethical and moral constraints. Through practicing karma yoga, you help everything on the path to peace. Hindus believe Hinduism is the key to a fulfilling, happy life; so spreading hinduism to as man
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Brief Introduction to Buddhism: religion, philosophy, science

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Buddhism is one of the most popular systems of thought in the world. According to the Pew Research center, in 2010 the Buddhist population was nearly 500 million, making up 7% of the world’s total population, most of whom live in Asia.  People often think of Buddhism as a religion, but it can be viewed as a religion, philosophy, and science. In the Emory-Tibet summer study abroad class, “Mind, Medicine, and Healing,” we were taught about these three facets of the tradition. The religious facet of Buddhism includes religious observances such as prayer and participation in rituals. The philosophical facet of Buddhism consists of concepts such as karma and reincarnation. The scientific facet of Buddhism is the part which is replicable through time and has been confirmed by science. A good example of this science is the Buddhist Science of Mind, or Buddhist Psychology. The philosophical facet of Buddhism includes the doctrines and scriptures which explain all facets of life, from
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Creating stress for stress free living

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In my life, I’m used to experiencing things in very intense, profound ways. While listening to The Power of Now, I was in a stress free, blissful place for two weeks despite the fact that I was in college, an extremely high stress environment. Another example is when I learned to apply the mindset switch of consciously providing value and sharing in social interactions. All of my social interactions changed for the better. These shifts were minor, in terms of personal effort exerted, yet profoundly impacted me as well as those around me, and it happened nearly instantaneously . Unfortunately, it fed into a work ethic devoid of grit and resilence . Because of this easy access to profundity, taking anything to a high level is something I am not familiar with. This has been a struggle in my spiritual, mental, emotional quest for peace. Most of the time, my life is low stress and loving. This makes it easy to be kind, loving, and patient. But when things get difficult
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Spiritual laws

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The following is a reply to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Spiritual Laws” Ralph Waldo Emerson, the "Yankee Mystic" The basic idea is that we are vehicles acting from a place of pure spirit, a view which aligns with the Hindu idea of humans as fundamentally spiritual beings. Because we are spirit, we have the capacity to find the ultimate peace of spirit at any time. Unfortunately, society hides this paramount truth through institutions put in place to “help” us. School forces us to sit down and learn. Society makes us all perform a similar task and sacrifice our love for money. The similarity of nearly every task in this society, no matter how diverse in subject matter, is the perfunctory manner in which it is executed. No vital energy, no creativity, no curiosity, no space for the immortal child to blossom. How amazing if each being were allowed to follow their bliss? Following bliss is a multi step process that is no longer intuitive. As a first step towards this p
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Transformational Knowledge

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Humans are interesting creatures. Abstract concepts can give us influence. Something as simple as a mindset change can completely change a life. On instagram, follow @kupkasana for more deep thoughts and insights It is commonly said that knowledge is power, but why? In my mind, knowledge is power because we can use it to change our beings on a fundamental level. The word k nowledge is derived from the greek word gnosis, meaning a personal experience of knowledge as opposed to an intellectual knowing. There is a spiritual aspect to the word as well. Because the greeks believed in gods and a divine truth, gnosis is the knowledge of the divine underpinning of reality. It can be argued that when one truly knows anything and it resonates on the deep personal level of understanding, it transcends the things of this world, pointing to the unspeakable truth. Hindus think of this unspeakable truth as the Self. You may find the self through any number of processes. Speaking to my Mua
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zenhabits.net "A Guide to Developing the Self-Discipline Habit

A Guide to Developing the Self-Discipline Habit (https://zenhabits.net/self-discipline/) BY  LEO BABAUTA One of the most important life skills to develop, for those just starting out in life (and everyone else!), is the skill of self-discipline. It’s like a superpower: when I developed some self-discipline, I started exercising and eating healthier and meditating and writing more, I quit smoking and ran marathons, I started a blog and wrote books, I read more and work earlier, I decluttered and transformed my finances. I’m far from perfect, but I’ve learned a lot. But if you don’t develop self-discipline, it causes problems: health problems, distraction, procrastination, financial problems, clutter, things piling up and overwhelming you, and much more. So it’s such an important skill to develop, but most people don’t know where to start. This guide is aimed at helping you get started. I’m writing it for my kids, and for anyone else who would like to develop a superpower.
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Autobiography of a Yogi: Some Take Aways

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Autobiography of a yogi response. This book heavily impacted my life. When you first hold the book, its spiritual power is palpable and I am always brought to a place of deep peace. Yogananda’s smiling face and gentle, holy glow on the cover is the very picture of compassion, beckoning one to dive deeper into oneself so that you too may find what he has found. During my time reading “Autobiography of a Yogi”, I treated it as a holy book, taking all of its words for fact, all of his proclamations as gospel. During my first period of time reading this book, there was no doubt in my mind that all which he said was true. I figured if one of his ethical vows was to only speak truth, then he may only write true events in this book. Upon reading of saints who teleport, fight tigers, see the future, and heal incurable diseases, I resolved to meditate for an hour on multiple occasions. Animating my mind with colorful images of what is possible in the spiritual world, my spiritual progr
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