Theos-Talk Archives (September 1996 Message tl00124)

Martin writes:
Will all its archaic and difficulties the VOS is a great book-teacher for
ages to come as a roadmap of the Path.
Regarding "The Mind is the Slayer of the Real.  Let the Disciple slay the
Slayer,"
I simply interpreted the work "kill" as "Nirodaha" from the Yoga Sutras of
Patanjali.
He defines Yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodaha, usually translated as
'restraining' (in VOS as 'kill')
the mental modification. The reason I went to Patanjali is because earlier
in the Voice HPB mentions the word Dharana or "concentration" (more or
less) from the 8 limbs or steps of the Yoga system.
I found Taimni (Science of Yoga) translation and commentaries very useful
on this subject.

Peace and Harmony to all,

Martin

_________________________________________________________________-
Keith:


We are studiying VOS at the Houston Lodge also.  Chandra Joysti from the Adyar
lodge in India is conducting the meeting over several months.  He has given THE
YOGA SUTRAS of PATANJALI written cira 500 A.D. as a possible source for some of
the ideas presented in the VOS.

I will try to copy some of the aphorisms, if people think it might be helpful
for our discussion.  The main idea that struck me was the similarity to Ann's
idea that the VOICE is like a bird that looks down at the lower bird eating a
fruit.  The higher bird sees the lower bird with compassion, but is unmoved.

Patanjali seems to come from a dualistic perspective.  The idea is that the
below is bad and the higher is GOOD.  We must kill the lower and rise to the
higher.  I am not sure this is what theosophy teachers.  I tend to personally
believe in non-dualism.  That is the higher is the lower, we just are conscious
of it, but can return to non-dualism through meditation.  The goal is not to
escape the clutches of evil matter, but disidentify with the dualistic mind that
makes it opposed to the DIVINE UNITY.

There is this trend in some theosphical writings.  Many seem to have the
cosmology of Hinduism, the ethics of Buddhism and the morality of Christianity
in some strange (to me) mixture.

Namaste
Keith Price