Yoga is the only methodology available with the humanity which has anatomized the human existence without opening a human body. It is the oldest and the deepest psychology of the human existence. It is unlike the present day psychology which studies only the mind of the subjects. Yoga is not constrained to the personality, mind or any aspect of mind of people; rather it gives a complete description of the whole existence of the humanity, its mental fabric and a methodology to transcend it.
Yoga in itself has been a diverse field. In Indian philosophy many a schools attach themselves to Yoga. Ashtangik Yoga, Gyan Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Mantra Yoga and Tantra Yoga are a few schools attached to Yoga. This article constrains itself to the Ashtangik Yoga only. In this article term Yoga will refer to the Ashtangik Yoga as propounded by Patanjali in Yoga Sutra.
Whatever practical about a human being can be said about his physic, psyche, mind and Chetna (in English no better word than awareness is available for this) is there in Yoga Sutra. Yoga Sutra starts with the proposition that the mind’s expositions (Vritti) are attracted to the worldly objects (Vishayas) and by confining mind’s expositions from being attracted to the worldly objects a seeker can realize his existence and hence liberate himself from this world’s afflictions.
The difference in the approaches of the Indian Yoga and the modern psychology is because of the differences of visions of the two schools. The modern psychology begins with the hypothesis that the Psychology is the science of the mind; that the human mind is the most complex machine on Earth; that it is the source of all thoughts and behaviour. The modern psychology believes that there is a mind and it has to be in consonance with some prototype mind. The modern psychology believes that the mind can be and usually is sick; its sickness can be cured. The real minds have tendencies. These tendencies of a real mind can be molded. A mind can be trained and can be taken to some sort of proximity of that prototype mind.
Yoga views the mind differently. For it a mind can not be infected by sickness but it is a sickness in itself. It cannot be cured because it has this form of sickness as an essence for the physical existence. Physical existence is not possible without the mind. Yoga does not speak of ‘a mind’ rather its subject matter is ‘the mind’. Modern psychology studies, treats and cures an individual mind while Yoga is for the generality of mind. Psychology is particular in approach and it discovers generality from particularity. In Yoga the mind in general is explained and a particularity approached from the generality.
For Yoga the mind is an obstacle in the path of self realization. This obstacle of mind is very much intrinsic and an essential ingredient of the creation (the Srishti). To attain your absolute state you have to transcend the mind. Yoga does not prefer wasting its time in curing a sick mind to make it healthy. There is nothing like a healthy mind in Yoga’s vision.
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