The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Sutra I. 32 Tat-pratisedha-artham eka-tattva-abhyasah
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| Sutra I. 32 Tat-pratisedha-artham eka-tattva-abhyasah
Therefore (tat) the remedy (pratishedha) [for distraction (viksepa)] is to ramp up our yogic practice (abhyasa) as a one pointed dedication and devotion (eka-tattvabhyasa) -- the continued focused practice of rooting out those obstacles of self-deceit and delusion that obscure the underlying unconditioned imperishable holographic seed source within, by letting go of the habitual tendencies which obscure it. abhyasa: sustained effort; focused and continuous conscious intent eka-tattva: one pointed focus on one thing. artham: purpose; intent pratisedha: remediating: Counteracting; preventing; to hold back (in this case to prevent distractions). Commentary: Here the remedy (pratisedha) is the profound practice of ONE THING (eka-tattvabhyasah), which means to recognize that Great Integrity where we are all of one taste -- that the entire universe and its Source are all interconnected and form one undivided whole (whologram). That is the purpose of this remedy (pratisedha-artham), which removes duhkha. Whenever we experience duhkha we can so re-member the practice of the One Taste of All Things and Beings -- our larger family in All Our Relations. Timeless and boundless wisdom is a living book, where all are our relatives and kin -- Vasudev Kutumbhkam --the Universe is One Family. When the human being is not so balanced and aligned a healthy culture considers them to be out of balance, deranged, ill, or perverse. “Worldling is a translation of 'putthujana,' which is simply anyone who isn’t enlightened. That’s me, and you. The Buddha had his own ideas about what constitutes mental health, and by his definition anyone who isn’t well on the way to Enlightenment is insane. Quite how literally he meant it when he said “All worldlings are mad” is hard to say, but when he looked at ordinary people like us going about their daily business he saw a world out of balance — and a world that by necessity is out of balance, because it is composed of those same off-kilter individuals. He had a term for this imbalance, which was viparyasa in Sanskrit, although the less-well-known Pali equivalent vipallasa is a bit easier on the tongue and the eye. Vipallasa means “inversion,” “perversion,” or “derangement.” Specifically, in using this term the Buddha was talking about the ways in which we misunderstand the world we live in, and the ways in which we misunderstand ourselves. Just at the young man at my meditation class was constantly misinterpreting what was happening (“See! I made that happen”) so too do the rest of us live in a virtual reality of delusion, confusion, and distortion. What’s more, we largely share the same delusions, which means that we don’t even realize that our minds are disturbed. And thus, as Krishnamurti suggests, it’s possible to think that we’re spiritually and mentally healthy because we share our mistaken values and understandings with those around us. Collectively, our ill minds create a society that is itself ill, and we consider ourselves healthy because we see our values reflected in our fellow worldlings. When I think of the vipallasas in modern life I’m overwhelmed by examples, but the one that springs most to mind is to materialism. We keep thinking that the answer to our sense of existential dissatisfaction is to buy more stuff: more stuff, and better stuff. I guess I notice this most with gadgets, but for other people it’s houses, furniture, shoes, clothes, or cars — none of which I care about at all. I get a new gadget — the shiny MacBook Pro I’m writing this article on, for example — and I feel a sense of pleasure just looking at it. It’s better, faster, prettier than any computer I’ve had before. But then what happens over time? Newer, better, faster, prettier computers come on the market, and I start comparing my machine unfavorably with them. My gadget starts to look a bit old-fashioned (after only six months!), less cool, less capable. It feels less fast. And I’m no longer so happy with it. I now start to hanker after something new. And I’ve been through all this craziness before. (Don’t they say that insanity is doing the same time over and over and expecting a different result?) Even knowing that I’m on a materialistic treadmill doesn’t entirely blunt the craving for a new computer, although to give myself credit I live without a television and rarely make impulse purchases. But on some level I really believe that the answer to the discomfort of my cravings will arrive in a box carried by a UPS truck." ~Bodhipaksa Similarly also see VYADHI in Sutra I.30 The remedy for all distractions is to ramp up our practice and in one pointed focus, yet the focus is not upon an independent "thing" within a dualistic context. In this sutra Patanjali describes the practice of eka-tattvabhyasah as removing the obstacles of distraction (viksepa) by bringing together one's focus as a one pointed dedication to the unconditioned eternal truth of the innate all pervading Great Integrity -- the Reality of the All in the One and the One in the All (eka-tattva) -- as the practice (abhyasa) of isvara pranidhana (surrender and dedication to our highest potential as That). See I.23-26, Pada II.2 and II.45. Pratishedha is composed of artha (purpose) and voiding, canceling, nulling, or remediation. Eka-tattvabhyasa is composed from eka (one), tattva (principle or or truth) and abhyasa (practice, which in turn is associated with vairagya because it is through vairagya that we let go of all distractions). Hence this sutra can be said to describe a practice of focusing single pointedly upon reality or truth as the underlying non-dual which will remediate all distractions (viksepa). So focused our innate energy, inspiration, confidence and life purpose will return or become refreshed. There is but one underlying intent or purpose (artha) here; i.e., to allow for the continuous flow of Divine Grace or Universal non-dual Now consciousness uninterruptedly. That is one pointed focus. When that comes together void of any distractions, then the fruit of the seed source (isvara) will mature. All else is a distraction/impediment. This is realized in a non-dual transpersonal and continuous non-interrupted flow throughout all the koshas, chakras, nadis, strota, marmas, and multi-dimensional fields of infinite consciousness up into to Hiranyagarbha kosha, not as a separate or personal realization. Otherwise it would not be the Great Integrity -- the magical display of pure unimpeded vision -- the fulfillment of the Yantra and the sacred mandala -- the whologram in which we are never apart from except in conditioned mental states of fragmentation.. Tat Tvam Asi --All Our Relations.
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