Auf der stralen See ist das Denkvermögen wie ein Korken allem Auf und Ab ausgeliefert. Selbst eine Fixierung (verankerte Tonne) oder ein bewusstes Denken (fahrendes Motorboot) gelingt nur schwer. Bild: Heinz Knotek/TrinosophieBlog
Am 21. März jährte sich zum 119. Mal der Todestag von William Q. Judge, irischer Mystiker und Theosoph, Mitbegründer der Theosophischen Gesellschaft im Jahre 1875 in den USA. In seiner leider nur kurzen Inkarnation hat Judge in zahlreichen Schriften immer wieder auf eines der wesentlichen Hindernisse auf dem Weg zur Befreiung des Menschen vom Rad der Wiedergeburt hingewiesen – das komplett unkultivierte, ausschließlich im astralen Umfeld der Persönlichkeit verankerte und dabei völlig vor Einflussnahme aller Art ungeschützte Denkvermögen. Nur wer sein Denken immun macht vor äußerer Einflussnahme ist Herr seiner selbst und auf auf dem Weg zum SELBST.
Denkvermögen konkret und alltagspraktisch
vor äußerer Einflussnahme schützen
Besonders in seiner kommentierten Edition der „Yoga-Aphorismen des Patanjali“ weist Judge darauf hin, wie jeder sein Denkvermögen konkret und alltagspraktisch vor äußerer Einflussnahme schützen kann. Unser Denkvermögen – und damit unsere ganze Persönlichkeit – glich immer schon einem Korken auf bewegter See. Der reale Alltag mit seinen endlos vielfältigen Eindrücken ist die Meeresoberfläche. Wir reagieren – unbewusst, automatisch, willig – auf jedes Auf und Ab korkengleich. Doch seit es neben der reellen Welt seit ein paar Jahren auch eine virtuelle gibt, hat der „Seegang“ nochmals kräftig zugelegt. Ein Piepen des Smartphone, ausgelöst durch eine eingehende banale Nachricht, lässt uns was immer wir gerade tun abbrechen. Handy raus, lesen, antworten. Unser Alltag gleicht so zunehmend einer fortgesetzten Parzellierung, eine Reihung aus dem Zeitlauf willkürlich herausgebrochener Raum-Zeit-Zellen. Nichts treibt uns mehr weg vom unsterblichen SELBST.
Vor allem ab Sure 34 bis zum Ende des ersten Buches erhält der Sucher auf dem Pfad nützliche Tipps, wie er sein Denken gegen reell und virtuell bedingtes „Piepen“ immun machen kann. Die Unerschütterlichkeit des Denkvermögens ist dabei aber nicht mit einem UNBEWEGLICHEN Denkvermögen zu verwechseln. Letzteres klebt an seinen persönlichen Vorlieben und Abneigungen fest. Ersteres führt den Sucher jenseits der Grenzen des Persönlichen. HEINZ KNOTEK
The YOGA APHORISMS of PATANJALI
An interpretation by William Q. Judge
(Book I, Sure 34 – 51)
34.
Distractions may be combated by a regulated control or management of the breath in inspiration, retention, and exhalation.
35.
A means of procurement of steadiness of the mind may be found in an immediate sensuous cognition;
36.
Or, an immediate cognition of a spiritual subject being produced, this may also serve to the same end;
37.
Or, the thought taking as its object some one devoid of passion — as, for instance, an ideally pure character — may find what will serve as a means;
38.
Or, by dwelling on knowledge that presents itself in a dream, steadiness of mind may be procured;
39.
Or, it may be effected by pondering upon anything that one approves.
40.
The student whose mind is thus steadied obtains a mastery which extends from the Atomic to the Infinite.
41.
The mind that has been so trained that the ordinary modifications of its action are not present, but only those which occur upon the conscious taking up of an object for contemplation, is changed into the likeness of that which is pondered upon, and enters into full comprehension of the being thereof.
42.
This change of the mind into the likeness of what is pondered upon, is technically called the Argumentative condition, when there is any mixing-up of the title of the thing, the significance and application of that title, and the abstract knowledge of the qualities and elements of the thing per se.
43.
On the disappearance, from the plane of contemplation, of the title and significance of the object selected for meditation; when the abstract thing itself, free from distinction by designation, is presented to the mind only as an entity, that is what is called the Non-Argumentative condition of meditation.
These two aphorisms (42-43) describe the first and second stages of meditation, in the mind properly intent upon objects of a gross or material nature. The next aphorism has reference to the state when subtile, or higher, objects are selected for contemplative meditation.
44.
The Argumentative and Non-Argumentative conditions of the mind, described in the preceding two aphorisms, also obtain when the object selected for meditation is subtile, or of a higher nature than sensuous objects.
45.
That meditation which has a subtile object in view ends with the indissoluble element called primordial matter.
46.
The mental changes described in the foregoing, constitute „meditation with its seed.“
„Meditation with its seed“ is that kind of meditation in which there is still present before the mind a distinct object to be meditated upon.
47.
When Wisdom has been reached, through acquirement of the non-deliberative mental state, there is spiritual clearness.
48.
In that case, then, there is that Knowledge which is absolutely free from Error.
49.
This kind of knowledge differs from the knowledge due to testimony and inference; because, in the pursuit of knowledge based upon those, the mind has to consider many particulars and is not engaged with the general field of knowledge itself.
50.
The train of self-reproductive thought resulting from this puts a stop to all other trains of thought.
It is held that there are two main trains of thought; (a) that which depends upon suggestion made either by the words of another, or by impression upon the senses or mind, or upon association; (b) that which depends altogether upon itself, and reproduces from itself the same thought as before. And when the second sort is attained, its effect is to act as an obstacle to all other trains of thought, for it is of such a nature that it repels or expels from the mind any other kind of thought. As shown in Aphorism 48, the mental state called „non-argumentative“ is absolutely free from error, since it has nothing to do with testimony or inference, but is knowledge itself, and therefore from its inherent nature it puts a stop to all other trains of thought.
51.
This train of thought itself, with but one object, may also be stopped, in which case „meditation without a seed“ is attained.
„Meditation without a seed“ is that in which the brooding of the mind has been pushed to such a point that the object selected for meditation has disappeared from the mental plane, and there is no longer any recognition of it, but consequent progressive thought upon a higher plane.
