Heart of Yoga, by TKV Desikachar
Chapter 9 - Actions Leave Traces
[A summary of the key points]
This chapter begins with a recap of chapter 8, then discusses duhkha in a new way.
Desikachar suggests that it is often those who are searching for clarity who feel
duhkha particularly strongly, and refers the interested reader to Vyasa's commentary
on Sutra 2.27, in which Vyasa describes seven steps towards true recognition of duhkha
- the first step being awareness that something is not right.
Desikachar then goes on to describe the relationship between purusha (the perceiver)
and citta (the mind). "The Yoga Sutra" says that the purusha can only see by means
of the mind. If the mind is colored, then the perception will also be colored, which
will in turn affect the purusha. If however the mind is clear, then its powers of
observation are at their best." We work with the mind, using yoga, since we can't
work directly with the purusha. Our purpose is to bring clarity to the mind so the
purusha can see more clearly.
The mind has been conditioned to decide where to direct our attention. This conditioning
is called samskara, the sum total of all our actions that conditions us to behave
in a certain way, and it can be positive or negative. Through yoga we can create
better and stronger samskara that can replace a negative samskara. In this way we
can work towards changing the way we behave. For example, we have an asana practice;
by regular practice, we are performing actions that are not determined by our habits,
but that are still within our range of capability. With regular practice, the mind
clears a little, and we can see slight changes that need to be made to the practice
in order to bring greater benefits.
"The mind is not the master, but it often behaves as if it is. That is why it is
beneficial to do something that gives the purusha a chance to do what it is meant
to do, namely, to see clearly. If we only glide through familiar waters, then the
mind takes over the rudder and the purusha cannot really do anything at all.
