(Hemacandra’s Yogasastra manuscript, portion of a sample page.)
snihyanti jantavo nityaṃ vairiṇo ‘pi parasparam |
api svārthakṛte sāmyabhājaḥ sādhoḥ prabhāvataḥ ||
स्निह्यन्ति जन्तवो नित्यं वैरिणोऽपि परस्परम् ।
अपि स्वार्थकृते साम्यभाजः साधोः प्रभावतः ॥
Living beings, even eternal enemies (like the snake and mongoose),
feel friendliness toward each other,
due to the radiant power of a virtuous person practicing equanimity,
even when undertaken for oneself. –Hemacandra’s Yogaśāstra 4.54
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we can mediate between our inner and outer worlds. How do we cultivate inner peace and yet stand up for the things we believe in?
I asked my undergrads which superpower they would choose and rather than picking ones from the third chapter of the Yogasūtra—like flying or invisibility—most of them were more intrigued by the powers that come from the ethical practices of the yamas and niyamas. For example, if you practice ahiṃsā (non-violence) fully, Yogasūtra 2.35 says that hostility is abandoned in your presence, as echoed in the verse above from Hemacandra’s twelfth century Jain text, here in relation to equanimity. If you are established in truth, you are thought to receive the fruits of your actions (Yogasūtra 2.36).
Students also wanted santoṣha (contentment) and while a few desired to read the minds of others, especially their pets, they overwhelmingly wanted to know their own minds. In other words, they wanted the things we can work toward through Yoga practice.
This feels like a reflection of our current world and while it may feel sad that they’re not dreaming of magical powers, it is also quite heartening to think that the mental states we seek lie within us. Moreover, cultivating these qualities affects how we engage with world. Equanimity is not indifference. Non-violence is not non-action. These yogic tools help us to be present for ourselves as well as others.
About the Author:
(Dr. Chris Chapple)
Christopher Key Chapple is Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and founding Director of the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. A specialist in the religions of India, he has published more than twenty books, including the recent Living Landscapes: Meditations on the Elements in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Yogas (SUNY Press). He serves as advisor to multiple organizations including the Forum on Religion and Ecology (Yale), the Ahimsa Center (Pomona), the Dharma Academy of North America (Berkeley), the Jain Studies Centre (SOAS, London), the South Asian Studies Association, and International School for Jain Studies (New Delhi). He teaches online through the Center for Religion and Spirituality (LMU) and YogaGlo.
