Ygoa Sutra 9-10 (book 2)

Sutra’s 9 and 10

It has been quite a while since I posted a blog, on the yoga Sutras. I would make up a lot of excuses, why I have not done as my heart (the Holy Spirit) has told me but the truth is I am scared. Scared of looking like I know what I am talking about because I don’t. I am just following the Word best I can match it to the Sutras of Patanjali, to see where they differ. I may find everything if I listen to the spirit, but on my own accord, I know nothing. I also am not the best at writing which is intimidating all by itself, knowing that anyone around the world can read my blog at any time is scary. However, I am called to put these two great books, one of yoga and one from God side by side and with my fear in hand. Today I am beginning again to do just that.

We left off on the 9th sutra which says: Self-preservation or attachment to life is the subtlest of all afflictions. It is found even in wise men.
The Bible does agree with this, God says time and time again that we will cling to life to material positions and even worse sinful behavior. He says to lean on him, focus on him and even more important always keep following him. Luke 9:23-25 stands out to me quoting Jesus saying “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
After meditating on this I understand it as saying we cling to our lives yet we should not, for our very lives are not ours to cling too, God gave us life and only he can take it away. If we really want to live we must stop believing our life is ours to live and live life for Christ, for our life is his.
Another fabulous passage and promise from God that should take away our need to cling and pull us towards God is John 8:51 Jesus says “I Tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Since our great saints and profits have all died in flesh, Jesus must be speaking about our spirits, which indicates to me there is more to life than my flesh.

#10) subtlest afflictions are to be minimized and eradicated by a process of involution.
If you recall from Sutra 3-9 the five main afflictions are ignorance, egoism, lust, malice and attachment to life. These afflictions all pull us away from God; making us rely more on ourselves. This sutra states that to eradicated these afflictions we must by a process of involution or turning inward on oneself, by being involved. Some may understand this as paying more attention to self, trying to master and control one’s behavior and thoughts. However, I see it as going inward to know the Holy Spirit within us, to be involved with God at every moment and learning to let go our human habits. There is a large spiritual movement today both inside and outside of the yoga community that believes that a human being can become one with God; some call it enlightened. This topic is controversial and one of the subjects that I am fearful of getting into however, it is a subject that has to be addressed in these sutras.

From a Christian perspective, because Jesus died for my sins, and sent us the Holy Spirit, I am already one with God. Do to Gods Grace, I do not have to overcome my afflictions, I have to repent, control my will and learn to focus on God wholly. In this sense, I am one with God. How may you ask? God is unity, One holy being, but he interacts with us three ways, one as the observer God or father, one as the communicator, Jesus and third as the ever living energy, the Holy Spirit. So you may say I am enlightened. Does that mean that I am perfect? By all means, no, I am human. But with the Holy Spirit within me, while using disciplines of yoga, I am learning to focus and be present enough to walk with and in Christ, instead of living in my human afflictions.
We have covered the five afflictions over the past 5 sutras, I think we can all agree that overcoming these afflictions will bring us closer to understanding God and ourselves. We also know that when we give in to these afflictions our life is worse for it, we sin more, we suffer deeper and we grow further away from our source Jesus Christ, God and the Holy Spirit. The Bible does agree with Sutra #10 in my opinion.

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