Ethics and morals in Yoga – Swami Indrananda
(I wrote this article for the magazine in 1989 and thought it will be appropriate to reproduce it; hope you will share my views).
Sri Swami Sivananda Ji in his book “Practice of Yoga” says under ethical culture that “ a philosopher need not necessarily be a moral or ethical man; but a spiritual man must necessarily be moral”. Further he points out that no meditation or Samadhi is possible without ethical culture. Since we have now established an Ashram based on the classical teachings, it is our duty to make every Yoga aspirant aware of the need and importance of ethics and morals in life. (Note: As you will perhaps like to know I moved to Patanjali Kutir in August, 1989 and we have been constantly spreading the true message of Yoga as far as we can).
Let us therefore first find out the meaning of the words ethic and moral which are synonymous and form the character of man.
According to the Oxford English dictionary the word ‘ethics’ means the rules of conduct and the whole field of moral science whereas ‘morals’ are concerned with the character or distinction between right and wrong. It also means the requirement to which right action must conform. The word ‘character’ refers to the mental or moral nature or description of a person’s qualities. Hence it is clear that ethics and morals play a very important part in the life of a student and teacher of Yoga alike.
The Prophets and great teachers of all religions have exhorted their followers to maintain their character in order to tread the path of Righteousness and warned them of the consequences if they fall. Lord Jesus wanted both men and women when he said “Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”. And to a woman He said “And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery”. It is apparent that Lord Jesus wanted his followers to maintain the highest character and in yogic language to follow ‘Brahamcharya’ (which can, contrary to our views, be maintained during a married life). Monasteries are an example of His teachings where the monks and nuns live separately and treat each other as brothers and sisters. He wanted all to maintain harmony between thought, speech and action (difficult to find in our society of today).
Lord Buddha in his sermons to Bhikshus (Monks) preached that “if you look at a woman as a woman or touch her as a woman, you have broken your vow”. He warned them that if, after all, you must speak with a woman, let it be with pure heart, and advised them that “if the woman be old, regard her as your mother, if young, as your sister, if very young, as your child”. Lust is the greatest enemy of an aspirant and Lord Buddha emphasized that “the power of lust is great with men and is to be feared withal; take then the vow of earnest perseverance and the sharp arrow-points of wisdom”. His message is clear when He says that lust beclouds a man’s heart, when it is confused with woman’s beauty and the mind becomes dazed. His advice to Bhikshus was that “it is better far with re-hot irons to bore out your eyes, than encourage in yourselves sensual thoughts or look upon a woman’s form with lustful desire”.
The Holy Prohet Azarathushtra, called Zoroaster, who is said to have lived about 6,000 BC according to Greek historians and about 600BC according to ancient Persian traditions, put great emphasis on morals and ethics. He said that “all men and women should mutually love one another and live as brothers and sisters bound by the indestructible bond of humanity”. Further, He said that “High character and nobility of life are better than high heredity and nobility of birth. It is difficult to make a name, but is more difficult to retain it. A chaste (pure) woman is the noblest creation of Ahura Mazda, and wifehood and motherhood are woman’s most sacred function”.
Prophet Muhammad, who was born in Mecca in AD 570, commenting on adultery, said “Now the adultery of the eye is to look with an eye of desire on the wife of another; and the adultery of the tongue is to utter what is forbidden”. To his followers He said “I swear by God, there is not anything which God so abhors, as His male and female servants committing adultery. He is not of us who seduces a woman from her husband, or a slave girl from her master”. Commenting on the way the people used to follow different paths, He said that “wearing coarse, hard cloth and eating coarse food is not abstinence from this world; abstinence from world is only shortness of desires”.
Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that “Triple is the gate of hell, destructive of the Self- lust, anger, and greed – therefore should one abandon these three”. (BG XVI, 21).
It is abundantly clear that all religious leaders have condemned the evils of lust and passion in man. The great Masters of yore and Sri Swami Sivananda Ji (Practice of Yoga) have mentioned a number of evils to be eradicated to follow ethical culture, but we are concerned here with lust and passion only. Even in our present society, where the drums of freedom for every man and woman are beatenaloud, these evils are looked at with dismay. In high circles of recent day social or political life, the character plays an important part in one’s life. We have seen Ministers being condemned and dropped from high office and others rejected for such offices because of adultery and other vices. If we see the place of ethics and morals in our free society, how can one overlook this important factor in the field of Yoga (and other spiritual organisations) which are founded on the purity of mind and character. Patanjali Maharishi, born in 200BC and author of Patanjali Yoga Sutra, laid down ten commandments i.e. Yama and Niyama for Yoga aspirants to build up their character before setting their foot on this razor-edged path. The purpose of the disciple living with the Master at an Ashram is to strengthen one’s character to walk safely on this path.
However, when we look at the present day situation in the field of Yoga, we find that the warning given by the great Prophets and other Masters are being overlooked. The pioneers who came to the west to spread the message of Yoga (or Spirituality/Devotion) undoubtedly followed the science/ethics and morals in toto irrespective of the difficulties, hardships and indignities they had to go through. But those who followed them perhaps became conscious of their popularity and succumbed to the free society in the West and gave way to their followers. It resulted in free mixing and physical contact thus moving away from the real spirit of Yoga/Spirituality i.e. building up of the character. Now there is a greater tendency of mixing with the opposite sex under the umbrella of freedom. The most dangerous part which has been observed in the West as well as in the East, is the physical contact. We do rejoice and feel happy temporarily but the subtle impressions left on the sub-conscious mind can evoke the turbulent senses later to cause the fall of the aspirant. I do not mean to criticise any one but make people aware of the dangers which lie ahead of us if we adopt this way of life in the name of Yoga or Spirituality. (A number of cases have gone to the court and there was recently one on BBC 1 on Tuesday September 6 th against ISCON. It shows how much vigilance is required by the Masters and students alike).
We have heard or witnessed the uprooting of some families in the name of Yoga whereas its purpose is to unite and not to destroy. Mind, which controls the senses and works with them, is very mysterious and powerful. It can easily mislead an aspirant towards the fulfilment of desires which will cause the destruction of a building which was erected with so much care and effort in the past. Even some of the Masters have fallen down from their path; very few have saved from the wrath of lust. We treat each other as friends and ignore the teachings of Lord Buddha who said that the opposite sex should be looked upon as a mother/father, brother/sister, or son/daughter. One may feel that we are living in a different age and society and there is no harm in mixing with the opposite sex. Probably not, if one has a strong mind and it happens once or twice. If it becomes a routine the danger of subtle desires creeping up in the minds of both the partners will obstruct their yogic or spiritual life, which is the ultimate aim of Yoga. There is a chance, though very rare, that one may find a life-long partner in Yoga and live happily thereafter, and improve one’s spiritual life. But if it comes to the point of breaking up one family and joining another, there is no such sanction by either the Prophets or the great Masters of yore in the history of any religion or Yoga. We must look within ourselves about our relationship with the opposite sex and see if it is of our true nature and falls within the teachings of Yoga.
I will end with a quotation by Shri K.R. Ramachandran Nair in his article “Relevance of Moral Education” which appeared in Bhavan’s Journal. He says “Just as a scientist stands firm on his procedural principles, a man of strong moral code should stand firm on time-tested principles”. This is what is required of a student of Yoga irrespective of the society or atmosphere in which s/he lives. The mind of an aspirant should be cleared of the impurities and lust/passion is on the top. Life will be different when an aspirant will treat the opposite sex according to the teachings of Lord Buddha and other great Prophets.
MAY HE BLESS US WITH STRENGTH AND DIVINE INTELLECT TO ADHERE TO THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI OM
From the writings of Sri Swami Sivananda Ji.
Build your Character (Practice of Yoga – pp,28,29)
A man may die, but his character remains. His thoughts remain. It is the character that gives real force and power to man. Character is power. Without character the attainment of knowledge is impossible. That man who has no character is practically a dead man in this world. He is ignored and despised by the community. If you want success in life, if you want to influence others if you want to get progress in the spiritual path, if you want to have God-realisation, you must possess an unblemished spotless character. The quintessence of a man is his character. The character of a man survives or outlives him. Sri Sankara, Buddha, Jesus are remembered even now, because they wonderful character. They influenced people and converted others through their force of character.