Cross currents between yoga philosophy and Thelemic texts

¶ … Cross-Currents of philosophy between the Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali, Parama rthasa ra of Abhinavagupta, and Aleister Crowley's Argentum Astrum

Human Civilization can pride itself over many inventions and contributions in many diverse fields. These contributions vary from the field of Art and Sciences, to Chemistry, Physics and Philosophy and have gone on to show the diversity of the human mind and the many facets of Arts and Science which for sure have an important place in the lives of humans, thus being the result of so much thought and debate.

Religion among these contributions is no doubt one of the most complicated subjects and has been a reason for much bloodshed. The various belief systems have clashed with each other again and again trying to prove that it is their God which is the Ultimate reality and deserves the top hierarchical position in the entire universe. [1: Endnotes The crusades. n.d. 13th December 2011 .]

However, despite this clash and conflict, one thing that is highly interesting in the studies of religion is the many parallels that one can draw between them. It is a fact that no religion will teach its disciples to murder or kill, and as such it can be said with confidence that all religions essentially teach that one should follow the path of righteousness and live a life which is simple and marked with contentment.

But here comes the major point of divergence! The path to get that contentment, which from a religious point-of-view is only possible through the closeness and the syncing of one's own self with that of their Lord, is different for each religion and school of thought. This Lord then, which can be in the form of Allah, Shiva, God, Brahmin, Rab, Consciousness, Universe, whatever word the followers may choose to say, and the possible relationship with Him is what is seeked by the followers of any religion.

This main goal of religion is the bottom line which runs through every belief system, no matter dating to which century and year. It is this common thread that will be explored in the three schools of thoughts, which vary in their inception as well as their region of origin greatly. These include the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, Parama rthasa ra of Abhinavagupta and Aleister Crowley's Argentum Astrum. While the former two schools of thoughts belong to the Oriental Philosophy, the latter is part of the Western Tradition. The main purpose of this research is to explore the many commonalities and points of difference that exists between these schools of thought.

The research has been taken forth with the introduction of the first school of thought and listing its many points and beliefs. The introduction of the second school of thought, however, is not only introduced but a constant comparison of each point of the second school is done with the former study. The third school of thought then is in constant comparison with the initial two, thus giving structure to the research.

The School of thought, known as the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, is considered to be dated to almost 1000-1500 B.C., " but came into written form much later in around 500 B.C. -300 A.D." The sutras, written with the thought that they can be memorized and chanted during meditation, were kept simple in their tone and compilation. The verses seem to be about knowledge and the simplicity of life which seems to be a crucial part of the teachings of Patanjali, for example, [2: Bhavanani, Dr. Ananda Balayogi. "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: An Overview by Yogacharya ." n.d. nternational Centre for Yoga Education and Research. 15th December 2011 1 ]

1.1 Now, instruction in Union.

1.2. Union is restraining the thought-streams natural to the mind.

1.3. Then the seer dwells in his own nature.

1.4. Otherwise he is of the same form as the thought-streams.

1.5. The thought-streams are five-fold, painful and not painful.

1.6. Right knowledge, wrong knowledge, fancy, sleep and memory. [3: BonGiovanni, Translation by. "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The Threads of Union." n.d. Sacred Texts. 15th December 2011 .]

The teachings of Patanjali talk about experiences which can be achieved through meditation, thus going through a process in which the purification of the mind becomes the ultimate goal to reach. The most important step in this regard then is to master the art of Abhyasa and Vairagya, which are defined as "the uninterrupted, disciplined and dedicated practice done with Divine aspiration" and "cultivated nature of dispassionate objectivity" respectively.

The ultimate control and mastery of these stages would be instrumental in reaching the state of Kaivalya, which too should be approached with Vairagya, otherwise the desire and the greed would corrupt the practice and the purpose of the entire practice. This ultimate state is the state if being one with the universe and the Divine. [4: As the head of International Center for Yoga Education and Research (ICYER), there is no doubt that Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani has a deep command on this subject matter. Bhavanani, Dr. Ananda Balayogi. "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: An Overview by Yogacharya ." n.d. nternational Centre for Yoga Education and Research. 15th December 2011 3. ]

One tool that can be a great aid in this task is the Pranava Japa or the "repeated utterance of the sound with deep feeling for the meaning." Since the Pranava or "OM" consists of three words that are considered extremely sacred in the Hindu Mythology, it is considered that their utterance and chanting can help in achieving that stage where the universe becomes one with the body and vice versa. [5: Johnston, Charles. "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: the Book of the Spiritual Man by Patanjali." n.d. Amareway.Org. 16th December 2011 5]

Patanjali in his final sutras defines the ultimate state in more detail, defining the many Siddhis or the various steps towards t he attainment of the highest goal can be obtained. These methods includes 5 steps of Janma, that is through birth; Aushadi, through the use of herbs; Mantra, that is attainment through the use of incantations; Tapah, that is attainment through efforts; Samadhi, that is through deep meditation.

The practice of any one of these methods can result in the attainment of the higher plane, and thus liberating a person from the cycle of incarnation, which is a direct manifestation of the person's will to continue to have an eternal life. And thus they continue to live in the threefold nature of time or Trikala. The final stage of liberation would thus manifest itself in the form of Dharma Megha, which has been described as the "potent rain cloud of virtue that has the potential to bless us with eternal freedom. The torrential rainfall from this rain cloud of the highest nature washes away all the arrogant, ignorant impurities that were keeping us away from our attaining to the highest state of ultimate realization." [6: Bhavanani, Dr. Ananda Balayogi. "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: An Overview by Yogacharya ." n.d. nternational Centre for Yoga Education and Research. 15th December 2011 15]

Under this introduction of the earliest of the three schools, the preceding introduction of the Abhinavagupta's school of thought would be analyzed. Abhinavagupta, born in the year 950A.D. To 1020 A.D., believed that he was the result of the divine union of Siva and Sakiti, a story that was told to him by his own parents, and thus he was a Yogini Child.

This story has much similarity with the concept of Siddhis, where the attainment of a higher reality is possible through birth or Janma. The coincidence of this incident then also coincides with the name of this Yogini Child, Abhinavagupta, which has been described as,

"That person is Abhinavagupta who remains vigilant in the course of everyday activities; who is present everywhere (abhi), in the objective domain as much as in the subjective domain, and dwells there without limitation. He sings the praise (nu) without ceasing to concentrate on the energies of knowledge and activity. He is protected (gupta) by this praise even though he lives under the presser of temporal affairs." [7: Nielsen, Sarah. "Abhinavagupta." 16th March 2010. Mahavidya. 16th December 2011 . 1]

The philosophy that Abhinavagupta introduced also focused more on the experiences that one can attain on a higher level. This philosophy too talks about a consciousness which is the apparent truth and projects itself in the many "differentiated subjects and objects, each object an actualization of a potential inherent in the divine Light of Consciousness" while being an entity within itself as well. [8: Wallis, Christopher. "The Descent of Power: Possession, Mysticism, and Initiation in the Saiva Theology of Abhinavagupta." Journal of Indian Philosophy, 36 (2008): 248]

The elevation of the soul and the attainment of the higher level is the ultimate goal in the teachings of this school of thought as well. He respects and even acknowledges the fact that the attainment is as much a possibility through any other form of religious practice. However he reserves the highest level possible for his own philosophical teachings and their practice. This stage has been called as the Paramam Padam and is only reached though the practice of Tantric Saivism.

One major difference that is found between the teachings of Abhinavagupta and Patanjali is in the way a person was initiated into the practice of that particular school of thought, and this difference is enough to make the teachings and practice of Abhinavagupta seem like elitist in their nature.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali direct towards no agent to attain the ultimate reality; in a fact, what has been found in these writings is simply a way for one to clear their mind and following a certain path. It almost makes the entire process personal, a matter between the individual and the higher reality that be. However, that is not the case in the teaching of Abhinavagupta, and must have been the reason to induce the criticism of the Buddhist scholar Dharmakirti. The initiation of an individual in the circle of Siva, with the guarantee of ultimate liberation at the time of the death, Nirvanadiksa, was done through a guru through a complicated religious ritual stretching over a period of two or more days, until his soul was made one with that of Siva, thus making him a son of Siva.

This Siva can then be taken as the ultimate reality or the universe of the Patanjali teaching with which the soul is infused making him at par with other individuals, as he has reached a level in which his own reality in the bigger picture is now clear to him.

Where in the Patanjali teaching's it is the word OM which is the agent in making a person in sync with the universe, in the teachings of Abhinavagupta it is the usage of the word ATHA which is a predominant notion. Again this notion attached to the righteous path is controlled by the guru, who would initiate with these words, so that the soul is never bounded again.

However, the unique thing about Abhnivagupta's philosophy, which has not been seen in the Sutras of Patanjali, is the concept of "Possession." This possession by the Power's of Rudra is the way to become one with the divine Gods. The way the experience has been defined is highly sexual in experience with the mention and temptation of Goddesses, which can cause one to dance and sing in a state of enchantment and ultimate bliss (Wallis 256). The text goes on to define the experience as one which would "give the fruit of both enjoyment and liberation" and would arise in the disciple the feeling of "Joy and contentment" and "certainly permanent bliss.…The transformation of impurity creates many instances of spontaneous happiness." This spontaneous happiness is then manifested in the dancing and the singing, which has been warned against as being taken over by the evil spirits. [9: Wallis, Christopher. "The Descent of Power: Possession, Mysticism, and Initiation in the Saiva Theology of Abhinavagupta." Journal of Indian Philosophy, 36 (2008): 256] [10: Wallis, Christopher. "The Descent of Power: Possession, Mysticism, and Initiation in the Saiva Theology of Abhinavagupta." Journal of Indian Philosophy, 36 (2008): 256]

However, this state is only caused by the initial experience and will be over powered through the continued dedication to Shiva and Rudra, and it is because of this reason that this state is not witnessed in the Guru, who has mastered this possession and state of ultimate reality in the many years of dedicated practice. It is at this stage that the lines between the thoughts of Patanjali and Abhinavagupta again seem to converge, as they both put emphasis on the dedication of the practice so that the righteous path is not lost.

However, what needs to be highlighted here is that the text of the Literature of the Tantras seem to focus of the deities and the Goddesses, thus the celebration of the two sexes, the male and the female, in the form of the deities that are mentioned in the sacred text and the Shiva both led to a union and a worship of the two sexes.

The third school of thought which would be the focus of this research is that of Aleister Crowley's Argentum Astrum. The section here forth would not only introduce the basic steps of this school of thought but would also draw upon the similarities and the contrasts between the two schools that have already been discussed in the above section.

Founded in 1907 by Crowley after this expulsion from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (G.D), A*A* or Argentum Astrum, it was a religion with a very human centric approach. The workings of the group were mostly individualistic in nature, thus letting it depend on the individual's commitment with himself to follow the many norms and rituals of the Order. This in comparison is much like the approach of Patanjali, in which it is the individual alone who is responsible for the commitment to carry forth the tradition of the Sutras.

In the case of the previous two school of thoughts, the Literature that was the ultimate source of guidance was the "Book of the Law" given to Crowley on his visit to Egypt. One of the main pointers however that were to be part of the commitment that one would make when entering the Oder were their acknowledgment of the authority of the Beast 666 and the Scarlet Lady. [11: Mega Therion. Astrum Argentum A*A*. n.d. 18th December 2011 .]

The meaning of The Book of the Law, which was originally named as "Liber AL vel Legis" or AL, means the God or the Great One. The letter A and L. also draws upon meaning for themselves through "elemental and planetary attributes: Air, to the letter "A"; and Venus, to the letter "L." "A" signifies the Creative Spirit (breath, prana, etc.), and "L" signifies the Woman Satisfied, or fulfilled with creative energy." [12: Grant, Kenneth. Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God. Skoob Books Pub Ltd., 1993. 5]

This is many case is quite similar to the idea of the Shiva and the Rudra Power who are presented as the Scarlet Women in Crowley's work and thus leads itself to describing the school of thought as " Sexual Magik." [13: Grant, Kenneth. Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God. Skoob Books Pub Ltd., 1993. 6]

The basic mantra of this school of thought, coming from the human centric approach, is that "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" is argued by Kenneth Grant in his writings as emphasizing upon the individual to control their will through the art of self-discipline, since the controlling of the will is what will determine how we use the freedom that has been ordained upon us. [14: Grant, Kenneth. Cults of the Shadow. London: Frederick Muller Limited, 1975.109]

This consideration and point-of-view is important for a school of thought in which there is no Omnipotent authority to guide its subject and thus the matter of how the freedom from the strings of religion is handled becomes of utmost important.

The three schools of thoughts hold another thing in common, and that is the non-duality of their approach. The three thoughts presented do not present a concept in which the relationship is binded between a God and the man, in a fact, you have a concept, in which the entire universe and the many objects carry within them the presence of the divine and a reflection of what he represents. [15: For more on the concept of Duality in Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, see the work of Heidi Jahn. ]

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali talk about a connection that the Individual makes with the whole universe through meditation. It is a practice which makes the disciple realize that the entire universe and the consciousness around him is entwined with a higher being and it is his goal to reach that phase of pure bliss as well. There is no one on one relationship with a God; in a fact it is a relationship, which is shared with the entire universe. [16: Jahn, Heidi. "Patanjali - Yoga Sutras." 2009. The Yogic Flower. 16th December 2011 . 3]

In the Tantric and the teachings of Abhinavagupta, the duality is debatable, since the relationship is being bounded between the Shiva and the self, through the guru. However the presence of the Power of Rudra and the possession of the human vessel by the divine powers break this duality so that the worship of many Gods and man is celebrated in the teachings.

The human centric approach of the A*A* makes the individual find the God and the universe within himself as he is the master of his will and the universe. This approach also breaks the duality of the traditional relationship between the man and the God and instead builds upon one which is within himself and needs to be explored through the union of the man and the woman. [17: Grant, Kenneth. Cults of the Shadow. London: Frederick Muller Limited, 1975.124]

But the historical anchorage that Crowley's beliefs rested upon, that is the Aeon of Isis, which followed the matriarchal lines of lineage and the Aeon of Orisis, which followed the dualist of the relationship between God and man, united to produce the Aeon of Horus, or the school of thought which reflected A*A* theological beliefs. This belief made the union of the male and the female, the conclusion of such a union arriving from these two anchor point themselves, and ultimately resulting in the product of the union is the most sacred symbol of the entire belief system. This sacred symbol is the child, emerging from the passionate union of the two opposites, the male and the female. [18: Grant, Kenneth. Cults of the Shadow. London: Frederick Muller Limited, 1975.126]

While the two religions have their roots imbedded in antiquity and have over the years mixed and integrated into many other forms of religious interpretation, they have managed to find a sound base for their acceptance as compared to Crowley's school of thought. The result has been that Crowley's interpretation has been smeared and greatly ridiculed and even considered a branch of Black magic and satanic worship, although that is not the case. [19: This distinction with regards to A*A* is important to understand, however, many works have not been able to make that distinction and have regarded it as black magic. However the confusion as many of the rituals in A*A* are enough to build this belief, while arousing extreme disgust in the reader. For more see the work of Urban. Mega Therion. Astrum Argentum A*A*. n.d. 18th December 2011 , Grant, Kenneth "The Magical Revival." n.d. Hermetics.org. 17th December 2011 .]

Grant explains that for Crowley, it was important, that the initiator has shown enough dedication to the cause and the belief, but before his initiation can be finalized it needed to be broken and this is where the Beast in the belief system of the Cowley appears, in the form of Crowley himself. This process again draws similarity from the Abhinavagupta school in which the guru before initiating the disciple makes sure that there is a true dedication to the cause and the purpose and the vision has made itself clear to the individual before his initiation can continue. [20: Wallis, Christopher. "The Descent of Power: Possession, Mysticism, and Initiation in the Saiva Theology of Abhinavagupta." Journal of Indian Philosophy, 36 (2008): 250]