"Correct knowledge is direct, inferred, or proven as factual" (B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali).
"The sources of right knowledge are direct perception, inference and scriptural testimony" (Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali).
"Knowledge embraces personal experience, inference, and insights from the wise" (Nischala Joy Devi, The Secret Power of Yoga).
When we hear the word resolution it's difficult not to think a little cynically about all the long-gone Januarys marked with to-do lists, plans, goals, fresh-starts, make-overs, dreams, and intentions that had fizzled by February. The turning of the calendar year is a new beginning fully capable of being a symbolic inspiration for your own new beginnings, but perhaps if we reclaim the true meaning of resolution we'll be more likely to follow through with the ones we make regardless of the time of year.
A resolution is a decision. To be resolute is to be decisive, determined, and intentioned. It denotes a strength of character; an earnestness bordering at times on stubbornness. To be resolute means to know what you want and what you're willing to do to get it. There is an ongoing theme presented throughout yoga literature (ancient and modern) that exhorts the importance of resolutely (i.e. firmly, unwaveringly, devotedly) committing yourself to your practice in order to produce optimal results.
It is not, however, perfection or pursuit to the point of harm or imprisonment. You can be resolute and also be permitted to change your mind. You can be strong and also kind to yourself. And you can be determined in the face of faults and obstacles. In fact, it is through the waverings and the doubts and the unknowns that we often learn the most. It is precisely when things go less-than-optimally that we most clearly come to understand what optimal really is.
Understanding is the key. Resolution comes from the same Latin roots as the word resolve. The prefix re- means "again" and "repeatedly." The word solve literally means "to explain clearly," and its roots mean "to loosen" and "to release." So resolve means to repeatedly explain some thing or idea, to loosen its complexities, to release ignorance in order to make the thing or idea clear. To resolve, to be resolute, means to enhance your understanding through repetition. We try, we fall short, and we try again (and fall short again and try again and so on), and in that way we get a little closer to the goal each time.
Actually, think about a resolution as being more related to knowledge than to goal-setting. Or that knowledge itself (rather than fewer pounds on the scale or more asanas on the mat or more peace in the world) is the goal, and that through knowledge those other things might manifest. By stripping away misunderstandings, ignorance, delusions, vanities, criticisms, and judgments, we enhance our intelligence which allows us to make good choices, and good choices are much more likely to be followed through with than poor ones. Good choices are proper and reasonable: they are made with your best interests in mind, and they utilize all the accurate information which is available to you in that moment. You cannot make decisions based on information you don't have, information only knowable through hindsight or fortune-telling, or falsities. Good choices are made from correct knowledge.
In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali tells us that correct knowledge (pramana) comes from three sources: (1) direct perception -- pratyaksa, (2) inference -- anumana, and (3) expert testimony -- agamah.
Direct perception (pratyaksa) is the rightness of your own experiences. It is the proper functioning of your senses and mental and emotional states: when you see something or hear something or feel something, and know it to be true. Now this could easily lead us down a hole of complicated discussions in the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, theology, and more. We are not going there: it is not worth our while to fixate on the fact that senses and emotions are obscure and can be faulty. Suffice it to say that direct perception is the feeling you have when you are aligning yourself with truth; when your intuitions tell you you're right. But rely on them with caution.
Inference (anumana) is an act of deduction, of figuring out the truth. Because we know that fire makes smoke, when we see smoke we can rightly infer fire is nearby. The fire itself need not be directly perceived for you to know its truth. Likewise you do not need to touch every fire to know that it is hot; you figured that out the first time your little toddler fingers reached out for the shiny pot on the stove. We make lots of inferences while on the yoga mat. We quickly learn things like I must practice before breakfast, not after, to avoid an upset stomach, or Standing poses perk me up when I'm feeling sluggish, or My chronic knee pain feels better after I've stretched my legs and hips without weight-bearing. Inferences help you make good choices, and even turn into direct perceptions by becoming past experiences from which you construct new ones. But you must be careful to avoid making false correlations.
Remember maya's fun-house mirror from a few posts ago? If you believe that all mirrors reflect accurate images and you see yourself in a fun-house mirror, you will falsely infer that that warped reflection is true. If you have incorrect knowledge about mirrors, you cannot make accurate inferences regarding their function. Likewise you may have some false knowledge leading you to make incorrect inferences about yoga such as Yoga is used as a healing therapy, therefore it is safe, or Stress and discomfort are bad, so I'm going to avoid feeling those things when I practice. Yoga is in fact used as a healing therapy, but you cannot then turn that into a broad statement about its risks or lack thereof. And of course some stresses and discomforts are bad; they can indicate harm or injury. But not always. The right kind of stress and discomfort is precisely what is necessary to affect positive change within the body and mind. Yoga can teach you to make good and mindful choices when you sense discomfort.
When we cannot perceive a truth directly or infer it, we can turn to the testimony of an expert or authority (agamah). We seek out guidance from trusted individuals who have more knowledge than we have; their ideas have been proven true through evidence, analysis, and repeated successful trials. Deciding upon a valid authoritative voice can be tricky since they are susceptible to false knowledge just as we are, and yet our teachers, gurus, leaders, and mentors are invaluable to our learning process as wisdom begets wisdom. When relying on the truth of another's testimony, we must be equally impartial and critical; we must consider their words with an open but scrutinizing mind.
An idea which comes from one or more of these sources can be considered correct knowledge and used to make good choices. For instance, your most trusted teacher tells you that having more patience will allow you to better endure life's hardships (testimony). Then she instructs you to prepare for Crow Pose (bakasana) which scares you, so ordinarily you stiffen up, clamp your jaw, and flail your feet behind you in an attempt to balance (or jet to the bathroom and avoid it altogether). But you have resolved to cultivate more patience, so you actually hear her words this time. As you exhale, you soften and surrender to the inevitability of the moment -- I balance or I don't balance and it is all good because no single asana defines me, and I will be stronger for having tried. Then your toes lift just an inch off the floor and you balance for a seemingly eternal five seconds (direct perception). The next time you find yourself poised for the pose, you remind yourself, When I feel impatient, I feel out of control. I endure better when I am patient. Patience lessens challenge. And you begin to associate patience with success in balancing poses (inference). You do it again and again, in more and more poses and off-the-mat, too. Now your resolve has created a new habit; not because you set a goal, but because you increased your understanding of what you wanted and returned to it over and over again.
Your work with patience as well as with crow pose is nowhere near complete. But you have the basis of correct knowledge which allows you to make good choices which keeps you committed and determined (i.e. resolute) which affects positive change. A goal by itself is just a what; a resolution is a what with how and why. When you make a resolution, do so with the intention of learning something about yourself, and know that (1) it will take repeated attempts to do it well, and (2) any achievement or result other than knowledge is a secondary reward, a bonus of sorts (a thrilling and meaningful one, for sure, but a bonus nonetheless).
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