| Ch 2 Sutra 1: Tapa Swadhaya Ishvarpranidhan | | | | the affect of different food on our body and |
| :Kriya yoga | | | | mind. We can observe how much food is enough |
| Tapa: Self Discipline | | | | and not overeat. We can eat with a feeling of |
| Swadhaya: Self study | | | | gratitude towards all those who have helped bring |
| Ishvar pranidhan: Devotion to God. | | | | the food on our plate's right from the farmer |
| Kriya: Action / To do | | | | who grew the grains to the shop where we |
| Self Discipline, Self study and Devotion to God is | | | | purchased them. |
| the Yoga of Action. | | | | According to the Karma theory - As you sow, so |
| Isvarpranidhan means to dedicate all your actions | | | | you shall reap. Ironically, most of us are very |
| to God. Leaving aside your doer attitude, you see | | | | careless with the seeds we sow in terms of |
| yourself as a small cog in the big wheel of life. As | | | | thoughts, the things we say and do. However |
| humans we must perform action; but action | | | | when it comes to harvest time we feel cheated |
| should be done as a duty leaving aside any | | | | and disappointed by the fruits given to us. |
| thoughts of the results. Duty simply means to do | | | | Yogis realized that purity needed to be practiced |
| what is good and right for that particular | | | | by them as a purely selfish means. The purer |
| moment. | | | | they were the more peaceful and happy they |
| Kriya yoga leads to purity by removing Kleshas | | | | felt. They suggested consciously cultivating the |
| (suffering) caused by certain structural defects in | | | | right kind of feelings as a way of studying the |
| our thinking. One of the biggest defects is avidya | | | | mind. |
| or wrong knowledge. | | | | Maitri – Friendliness towards all beings. |
| Knowing the non-eternal to be eternal; the impure | | | | Karuna /Compassion – Empathy (putting |
| to be pure; the painful to be pleasurable and finally | | | | yourself into the other persons shoes) along with |
| the non self to be self are the four areas where | | | | action for bettering the situation of the other. |
| we are full of avidya. This leads to craving, | | | | Mudita / Goodwill – Being happy for some |
| aversion and a strong sense of ego which are the | | | | else's success, happiness or good qualities. |
| main causes of our suffering. | | | | Upeksha / Benevolent Indifference – Upeksha |
| Tapa, swadhaya and Isvarpranidhan can be applied | | | | is a quality of being able to overlook the bad in |
| to any action in life. Let us take the simple | | | | people or situations. It is not passive acceptance |
| example of an activity we perform many times a | | | | of a wrongful situation, but actively doing what |
| day. While eating we can practice tapa by | | | | you can to improve it and then being able to not |
| choosing the right wholesome and nutritious food. | | | | be affected by it. |
| We can study ourselves as we eat to observe | | | | |