The Unfolding Mirror of Prakriti

by Richard Freeman

“A connoisseur draws out love with tender care from the pulsation of leaves, from the rays of flowers.” — Sahaja Verse

In order to understand the experience of yoga, the earliest schools of yoga postulated that there are two different principles of all experience which operate in a profound relationship to each other; that of Purusha and Prakriti. Purusha, which is pure being and pure consciousness, always has as the content of any experience Prakriti, which is creative, always changing energy.

Purusha is the seer, the witness, the real you or me. Prakriti is the seen, the experienced, the form, even down to the most subtle of mental events. Any ideas or feelings, even those about Purusha, are composed of the impermanent, interconnecting braids of a mutable, timeless energy, or Prakriti. Since Prakriti is the content of all experience, Purusha cannot be “experienced” as such, but is realized by the full releasing of Prakriti.

Technically we cannot even say there is a relationship between Purusha and Prakriti, since Purusha is completely unthinkable. Any relationships are actually between various complementary and opposite functions within the unified field of Prakriti. Philosophically the relationship between these two metaphysical absolutes comes to a halt in a knot of self reference paradox. This is not actually a problem. It happens eventually in all systems and is a beautiful and essential disappearance of the mentally constructed thinker.

Purusha and Prakriti are brilliant metaphors, which aid in the actual yoga practice and the experience of observing all phenomena as impermanent construction. For example, we can say that the process of realization in yoga can be likened to the simultaneous unfolding of millions of flowers (Prakriti) to face the light and glory of the rising sun (Purusha). The Kamakalavilasa Tantra also says, “The awakened flower energy, as Mulaprakrti or primordial Sakti is supreme; being in the nature un-originated and undisturbed joy, eternal, utterly incomparable, the seed of all, the spotless mirror in which is revealed the radiant form of Siva.”

Grounded in metaphor and myth, ancient Samkhya, Yoga and Tantra all state that it is the relationship between Purusha and Prakriti or between Shiva and Shakti which is the propelling force behind the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the universe.

Mythologically the deep process that one awakens in the other can only be compared to that of a profound love affair in the depths of its illusions, the complexities of its situations and the heights of its joys. The Yoga Sutra explains that, “the purpose of the coming together of Purusha and Prakriti is the gaining by the Purusha of the awareness of His true nature and the unfolding of the creative power inherent in Him as Prakriti.”

The Samkhyakarika explains that ultimately the emergence and evolution of the manifested world is to play out the process of the apparent bondage and liberation of the Purusha. Everything is for the sake of Purusha, the witness, consciousness: and, when illusion is finally removed, the Prakritic process is seen to be indescribably tender. “It is my thought that there is nothing more delicate than Prakriti who (says to Herself) ‘I have been seen’, and never comes into sight of the Purusha….says the Seer (Purusha)’I have seen (Her)’. The other ceases (saying) ’I have been seen’, though the two are still in proximity, no creation takes place.”

It is from this apparent paradox of love, the primordial duality-in-unity of Purusha and Prakriti, that the whole universe of yoga unfolds. Philosophically the Samkhya universe is understood in terms of consciousness, i.e., in terms of how it appears to the Purusha. In fact, this is the key; that the universe is what appears to Purusha. It is what is seen (Drshya). Its entire purpose is to put on a show, an extraordinary theatrical event of sorts, to show the Purusha the wonder of it all.

The primary axiom of the system is the absolute distinction between Purusha and Prakriti; Purusha as pure, contentless consciousness, and Prakriti as the unconscious content thereof.

As it appears normally, consciousness is always conscious of something. Consciousness then appears as the thing of which it is conscious. What is unconscious then appears as conscious. Purusha appears as what it is not, and Prakriti appears as what it is not. A double negation occurs (“appears” within Prakriti) where both principles reveal what they are by appearing to be what they are not. The appearance of this paradoxical double negation forms the epistemological bind of illusion (Avidya), the confusion of Prakriti with Purusha, consciousness with its fleeting contents, the field with the knower-of-the-field.

The nature of the duality proposed here is subtle and the correct understanding of it in real life is liberation of the Seer. This is not a duality of the Cartesian variety where there is an ontological distinction between mind and body, thought and extension or awareness and matter. Quite paradoxically, Samkhya likes to include all distinctions within the category of Prakriti, allowing for a subtle reductive materialism in which gross arises from subtle which in turn arises from more subtle, and so on.

Ordinary consciousness or awareness is a manifestation of Prakriti as “Citta Vritti” or “Antahkarana Vritti”, meaning modifications of mind-stuff or modifications of the internal instruments. Ordinary awareness or thought is an intentional, striving, active construct of subtle material energy. On the other hand, Purusha is pure witness, contentless consciousness, never reducible to gross Prakriti or subtle Prakriti. Yet only when the subtle Prakritic vehicle waxes clear or flowers is the epistemic distinction between awareness as subtle Prakriti and the Purusha seen by the embodied Purusha.

Thus, the problem of bondage and release appears only within Prakriti as the adventures of a subtle Prakritic vehicle mistakenly identified as consciousness itself. The Samkhyakarika states: “Nothing, therefore, is bound, nothing released, likewise not anything transmigrates. Only Prakriti in its various forms transmigrates, is bound and is released.” Enlightenment reveals what has always been the case, a principle beyond Prakriti, always free as pure consciousness. This principle is no-thing: it is, however, indicated by seeing the negative dialectics within Prakriti. As the Upanishads say, “Neti, Neti”, “not this, not this”.

So now there is nothing left to examine or to explain but Prakriti. But a close observation of Prakriti can bear the greatest prize for the observer. The Yoga Sutra states, “Liberation is when there is equality of purity of the Purusha and Sattva (intelligence/ Buddhi)”. What is observed, Prakriti as intelligence, can be tuned so as to reflect the pure light of consciousness. Descriptions and thoughts about Prakriti, any conditions from which they might have arisen, and any reactions they might produce are also Prakriti. Prakriti apprehends Prakriti. When the Prakritic vehicle of Sattva (intelligence) is free of epistemological confusions the very process of Prakriti appears, to the delight of the Purusha, as the delicate flowering of truth.

Cited from http://www.yogaworkshop.com

Purana

Apocalypse for the Hindu is the natural ending of the world in the fourth age, the Kali Age.

This referes to one of a series of apocalypses, each of which marks the end of one cycle and the beginning of another creation. The central figure in the story is Vishnu, the preserver God, into whose self the world is absorbed before being born again.

Vishnu has already saved humanity on a number of occasions, symbolically appearing as a savior in many different forms. It is said that He will appear again soon, as Kalki, a white horse, destined to destroy the present world and to take humanity to a different, higher plane.

All kings occupying the earth in the Kali Age will be wanting in tranquillity, strong in anger, taking pleasure at all times in lying and dishonesty, inflicting death on women, children, and cows, prone to take the paltry possessions of others, with character that is mostly vial, rising to power and soon falling.

They will be short-lived, ambitious, of little virtue, and greedy. People will follow the customs of others and be adulterated with them; peculiar, undisciplined barbarians will be vigorously supported by rulers. Because they go on living with perversion, they will be ruined.

Dharma becomes very weak in the Kali Age. People commit sin in mind, speech, and actions.

Quarrels, plague, fatal diseases, famines, drought, and calamities appear. Testimonies and proofs have no certainty. There is no criterion left when the Kali Age settles down.

People become poorer in vigor and luster.

They are wicked, full of anger, sinful, false, and avaricious.

Bad ambitions, bad education, bad dealings, and bad earnings excite fear.

The whole batch becomes greedy and untruthful.

Many sudras will become kings, and many heretics will be seen.

There will arise various sects; sannyasins wearing clothes colored red.

Many profess to have supreme knowledge because, thereby, they will easily earn their livelihood.

In the Kali Age, there will be many false religionists.

India will become desolate by repeated calamities, short lives, and various diseases.

Everyone will be miserable owing to the dominance of vice and Tamoguna.

People will freely commit abortion.

Earth will be valued only for her mineral treasures.

Money alone will confer nobility.

Power will be the sole definition of virtue.

Pleasure will be the only reason for marriage.

Lust will be the only reason for womanhood.

Falsehood will win out in disputes.

Being dry of water will be the only definition of land.

Praise worthiness will be measured by accumulated wealth. I

Propriety will be considered good conduct, and only feebleness will be the reason for unemployment.

Boldness and arrogance will be equivalent to scholarship.

Only those without wealth will show honesty.

Just a bath will amount to purification, and charity will be the only virtue.

Abduction will be marriage.

Simply to be well dressed will signify propriety.

Any hard-to-reach water will be deemed a pilgrimage site.

The pretense of greatness will be the proof of it, and powerful men with many severe faults will rule over all the classes on Earth.

Oppressed by their excessively greedy rulers, people will hide in valleys between mountains, where they will gather honey, vegetables, roots, fruits, birds, flowers and so forth.

Suffering from cold, wind, heat and rain, they will put on clothes made of tree bark and leaves.

And no one will live as long as twenty-three years.

Thus in the Kali Age humankind will be utterly destroyed.

Manas: Posisi Kunci

Manas menduduki posisi sentral yang merupakan esensi keberadaan manusia. Dari kata Manaslah kemudian muncul kata manusia dalam Bahasa Indonesia atau human atau man dalam Bahasa Inggris. Upanishad menegaskan, “Mana eva manushyaanam kaaranam bandha mokshayoh” – bagi manusia, Manaslah yang menyebabkan perbudakan atau pencapaian Moksha.”

Meskipun menduduki sentral, dalam hierarki Sankhya pikiran atau Manas menduduki posisi kunci di bawah keakuan atau Ahamkara. Kecerdasan atau Buddhi berada pada tataran yang lebih tinggi dari pikiran, dan sejajar dengan keakuan. Sedangkan, kesadaran atau Citta berada di atas kecerdasan dan keakuan. Citta sejajar dengan Triguna (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) – tiga kekuatan Prakriti namun belum terpengaruh olehnya. Citta turunan langsung dari Purusa – yang merupakan hakikat yang berlawanan dengan Pradhana atau Prakriti – semesta material. Dari Pradhana inilah Triguna berasal.

Bila Citta terpengaruh oleh Triguna dan didominasi oleh Sattva, maka ia tidak lagi sebagai kesadaran yang jernih, melainkan Buddhi. Dan, bila Citta dipengaruhi dan didominasi oleh Rajas dan Tamas, maka terlahirlah Ahamkara.

Ahamkara inilah yang membawahi dan menggerakkan Manas. Buddhi sangat jarang turut campur dalam pemerintahan ini. Ketika melayani Ahamkara, Manas menjadi sibuk, bergolak, berpusar, berubah-ubah, terombang-ambing, menimbulkan berbagai bentuk pemikiran dan perasaan.

Konyolnya, dalam ketidaktahuannya manusia justru mengidentifikasikan dirinya sebagai pikiran itu sendiri. Hanya apabila dominasi Ahamkara terhadap Manas dapat direbut oleh Buddhi, kondisi atau sifat kedewataan Sattva akan menyinarinya. Buddhi mendekati kondisi Citta, sehingga jauh lebih mudah menerima pancaran cahaya Purusa di dalam batin manusia.

Dikompilasi dari berbagai sumber.

Kelepasan Dalam Jangkauan

Paparan Sri Swami Sivananda, pendiri The Divine Life Society tentang Yoga:

Yoga bukanlah mengurung diri di dalam gua-gua, bukan pula berkelana di hutan-hutan lebat sekitar Pegunungan Himalaya. Ia juga bukan hanya memakan jenis makanan yang berupa sayur-mayur dari pegunungan. Brahman bukanlah pengecut yang lari dari hiruk-pikuknya komunitas dan pemukiman manusia. Praktikan sajalah Yoga di rumah Anda sendiri. Manakala hasrat untuk mempraktikkannya muncul, ini berarti bahwa kebebasan telah berada dalam jangkauan Anda, oleh karenanya manfaatkan peluang ini sebaik-baiknya… Menjalani kehidupan sebagai seorang yogi, tidaklah mesti menelantarkan siapa pun juga atau mengabaikan kewajiban-kewajiban melekat Anda. Ia bermakna mengubah sikap hidup dari kebiasaan mengerjakan sesuatu yang sia-sia, menuju jalur yang secara pasti mengantarkan langsung kepada Tuhan. Ia dibarengi dengan perubahan perilaku dalam menjalani kehidupan serta metode-metodenya guna membebaskan  diri Anda dari berbagai belenggu dan kemelekatan. Kebenaran dan pengabaian keakuan, sebenarnya  merupakan masalah sikap batin.

Dikutip dari Buku Kidung Kelepasan Patanjali alih bahasa oleh Anatta.