The Patanjalis Ethics - Assignment Example

Asian Philosophy Question 2 Patanjali’s Ethics This paper espouses the Patanjali’s ethics that provide guidelines to individual’s emotional and mental well- being and thereby facilitating a fulfilling and a meaningful life. The ethics are categorized into eight limbs of classical Yoga or ashtanga yoga that includes ethical restraints or yamas, observance of lifestyle or niyamas, breath control or pranayama, postures or asanas, concentration or dharana, withdrawals of senses or pratyahana, absorption into the Divine or Samadhi and mediation or dhyana. The eight limbs may be practiced concurrently since they work together in unison. A step- by- step sequential process that a yogi looks forward to attain has its significance value that helps to reach a level of absolute absorption that is being aimed at by the yogi. In order to reach the ultimate purpose of the objectives of the eight limbs, the practitioner employs proficiency throughout the processes thereby evading obstructions that may hinder the attainment of the required objectives. The indicated ethics aims at leading a person towards an everlasting contentment. The yamas provide abstentions that enable an individual to relate to the external world. Patanjali prescribes that the yamas constitutes the foundation of the yoga practice and thereby individuals should follow the precept in totality and unconditionally. The niyamas provides s succinct observation of one’s lifestyle, which eventually enables a person to relate to him or herself. The pranayama allows individuals to control their breath thereby controlling life force energies, which adversely helps to improve the health and mind sobriety of an individual by making the body calm. The asanas entail the discipline of the body, which focuses on the correct postures that provide physical aid to meditation thereby keeping body free from ailments (Gold, 2011). The notion is augmented by the fact that correct posture facilitates the control of nervous systems and limbs thereby preventing these organs from developing complications. Dharana is component of the internal aid to yoga that provides increased levels of concentration upon physical objects such as the midpoints of the eyebrows. Pratyahana represents the withdrawal of senses from the influence of their external objects, which thereby helps the individuals to redirect his or her senses to desired point of focus. Samadhi entails the absorption into the divine thus developing oneness with the object of meditation. An individual may either employ conscious Samadhi whereby he or she may concentrate on the object of meditation thus modifying his or her thoughts only in respect to the object of concentration. In addition, he or she may employ super conscious Samadhi whereby the act of meditation and the object of concentration are fused together. Dhyana entails a continuous and undisturbed flow of meditation around the object of concentration whereby the act and object of meditation remain as separate entities. The yamas contains five specific moral obligations that include ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharia and aparigraha as will be discussed in the following paper. Patanjali ascribes that these precepts are universal and therefore should be followed at all times, in any locale that is appropriate while under no restricting circumstances (Gold, 2011). Ahimsa advocates for practices of non- violence. The notion depicts that individuals should not engage in violent acts such as killing and attacking others but instead should embrace peace and meekness. Satya emphasizes that honesty should be practiced and thereby individuals should be confined to actions that are full of truthfulness. When individuals live in the truth, they develop honesty to themselves and others. The obligation supports that individuals should not exercise a lie under their convenience but should only engage in a lie when he or she is saving another person’s life in a justifiable life-threatening situation. A Yogi is bound by no elements of doubts as he or she consistently lives in honesty thus allowing other fellow men to emulate his or her truthful stances. Asteya affirms that individuals should practice righteousness at all times. The notion dictates that an individual practicing righteousness should not engage in ill activities such cheating and stealing but instead should show profound levels of honesty whereby he or she does not seek unwarranted advantages, but rather exercises fair trade. Brahmacharia suggests that an individual should develop wisdom that helps them to seek inner happiness and peace by living in the spiritual focus of God’s enlightenment. Brahmacharia advocates for the right use of our sexual energy through abstinence. Patanjali characterizes the moral conducts stipulated in the rules as categorical imperatives that ought to be observed in order to attain ultimate happiness. Following the moral conducts enables individuals to exercise truthfulness that enables such a person to acquire trust from multitude of other individuals, which helps to augment his or her levels of happiness. The moral conducts stipulated in the obligation of Patanjali enables people to refrain from bad activities such as stealing of tangible to the intangible things. The notion encourages individuals to refrain from letting their desires persuade them in taking more than what is offered thereby forming a concrete base for happiness, which is pertinent to every living human being. The moral conducts allow people to develop celibacy that enables them to moderate their energy by not letting the senses rule their behaviors. The propensity allows people to acquire high levels of happiness in God as they are not driven by urge but rather driven by God’s purpose and will. The desire to attain utmost happiness is achieved when individuals employ a self-study approach advocated in the moral conducts of Patanjali’s obligations. The self- study enables individuals to tap happiness within them thereby making the moral conducts a priority in the lives of people seeking utmost happiness. It is possible though not compulsory to everyone to abide by the Yama rules since the rules provides a path to happiness, which thereby makes it a free choice to persons to either follow it or not. The rules stipulated in the Patanjali’s ethics are possible to attain to everyone who desires to acquire happiness. The rules and obligations are open to everyone since they advocate for actions that promote inner and outer peace and bliss. The rules enable individuals to develop harmony within them and the environment that surrounds them and others. The precepts provide a mirror that individuals who exercise them are able to study their practices and self, which thereby allows to align the qualities of an integrated human being. I strongly agree with Patanjali’s ethics since they provide a succinct and clear pathway that one ought to follow in order to realize the ultimate happiness and inner peace. The Patanjali’s ethics provides guidelines that enable individuals to refrain from behaviors that could outwit happiness for instance hatred, aversion and delusion. The Patanjali’s ethics focuses on avoiding behaviors that yield suffering and difficult, and focuses on behaviors that lead to states of happiness. It is true that in order to alleviate the afflicted ways of behaving and thinking, an individual should follow the ethical rules stipulated by the Patanjali’s ethics. The definite ethical rules enable individuals to interact with one another and thereby developing a means of controlling actions and for attaining the objective. The ethical norms that are aligned to the lifestyle, behavioral pattern and mental make- up of a practitioner have shown to positively influence the physiology and psychology of such a person, which eventually benefits the society. According to Patanjali’s ethics, self-control and self- discipline are the products of a well- cultivated ethical norms that enable individuals to perceive the world with all its complexities and interconnections. Reference Gold, J, C. (2011). Vasubandhu. California, CA: Stanford University Press Read More