2 6 S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 4 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 8 whose accumulated wisdom was passed on over many years, first orally and then eventually in written form? Regardless of the scant biographical information we have, we are very fortunate to have the spiritual gems these two sages bequeathed us with. Saint Benedict’s Rule and Sri Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras are part of humanity’s shared spiritual heritage, that while rooted in two distinct traditions, Christianity and yoga respectively, belong to no one. Seekers from any spiritual tradition, or none, can avail themselves to the wisdom found in these ancient texts. Both these sacred works offer a time-honored blueprint on how to cultivate a steady mind and the inner peace that follows. They are guides to nurturing a heart that is at all times contributing to the sanctity of life by responding with love and compassion to the people and ordinary events that shape our days. The Rule and Sūtras teach us how to become wholly capable of meeting the challenges that life presents. They do not promise us an easy life but one that allows for a greater intimacy with the joys and sorrows that every life entails. 2 Growth Begins with Paying Attention Sri Patañjali’s Sūtras and Saint Benedict’s Rule begin in a similar fashion. They call upon disciples to pay attention. The profundity of the teachings about to be shared require disciples to put aside all concerns and pay heed to what is being said. Thus we have Sri Patañjali, in the very first sūtra saying, “Atha Yogānuśāsanam” or “Now, the exposition of Yoga” (Yoga Sūtras 1.1). Sri Patañjali is beginning to teach. He’s telling us to take note, to stop worrying about the past or future, to be present to the moment, because he knows how to liberate us from ignorance and suffering, and lead us back to the inner peace that is our True Nature. Saint Benedict also knew how critical attentive listening is to the spiritual life, so in the Prologue to his Rule, he says very clearly –“Listen carefully my son, to the master’s instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart” (RB Prologue 1). Like Sri Patañjali, Saint Benedict wants to ensure that his disciples know that it is time to become single minded, to concentrate on the task at hand, to listen. He goes on to say: “This message of mine is for you, then, if you are willing to give up your own will once and for all, and armed with the strong and noble weapons of obedience to do battle for the true King, Christ the Lord” (RB Prologue 3). With these words Saint Benedict is echoing Sri Patañjali’s teaching of Īśvarapraṇidhāna – the voluntary surrender of one’s will and the fruit of one’s actions to God – the third element of Kriya Yoga. If we are to know anything of God these two Masters tell us, we must surrender. So at the very beginning of his Rule, Saint Benedict drops a hint to his disciples of what is to come, what they can expect if they choose to place their spiritual lives under his guidance. To be true followers of Christ they will have to surrender their wills, Saint Benedict declares, their devotion to God must be a priority, one in which they wholeheartedly and joyfully commit their time, energy, and love to. It is the same for us today. If we are to discover the peace that is our True Nature and liberate ourselves from the ignorance that obscures it, we must learn to surrender. 3 Kriya Yoga In Book One or Pada One (“pada”– one forth portion) of the Yoga Sūtras, Sri Patañjali begins his instruction by defining the practice of yoga and laying out its theoretical foundations. Nirodha – a still mind that no longer identifies with the habitual thought patterns that cultivate a false sense of identity – is presented as the goal of yoga. Kriya Yoga contributes to the attainment of nirodha by helping us be attentive to our daily experiences, and intentional in our efforts not to identify our True Self with the body, or with the whirling thoughts (vrittis) of the mind (Yoga Sūtras 1.2). In Pada Two, Sri Patañjali delves into sādhanā (the means to liberation), or the spiritual practices necessary to overcome obstacles impeding our liberation from ignorance and thus our suffering. It is here where Sri Patañjali introduces Kriya Yoga (Yoga Sūtras 2.1), which contains the essential components of any spiritual path and important practices to build upon to advance on the path of yoga. Sri Patañjali tells us that the three elements of Kriya Yoga: (1) Tapas –accepting challenges and even pain (physical and psychological) for the purpose of self-purification, (2) Svādhyāya– study for the purpose of refining and elevating the mind, and (3) Īśvarapraṇidhāna – surrendering to and dedicating one’s life to knowing and serving God, constitute yoga in practice (Carrera 2006). While Saint Benedict, of course, didn’t use the term Kriya Yoga, in nearly every chapter of the Rule, his disciples are encouraged to use what are essentially Kriya Yoga practices to progress in the monastic life. The Sanskrit word tapas literally means “to burn or create heat”. It refers to those situations that arise in one form or another on a daily basis that challenge us, and that we usually wish we could avoid. Tapas could be in physical form, for example a health challenge of some sort, or psychological in nature, perhaps an uncomfortable conversation that we need to have with someone.
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