tailieunhanh - An Introduction to Yoga

Let us, first of all, ask ourselves, looking at the world around us, what it is that the history of the world signifies. When we read history, what does the history tell us? It seems to be a moving panorama of people and events, but it is really only a dance of shadows; the people are shadows, not realities, the kings and statesmen, the ministers and armies; and the eventsÄ the battles and revolutions, the rises and falls of states Äare the most shadowlike dance of all. Even if the historian tries to go deeper, if he deals with economic conditions, with social organisations, with. | An Introduction to Yoga 1 An Introduction to Yoga Annie Besant Foreword These lectures FN 1 Delivered at the 32nd Anniversary of the Theosophical Society held at Benares on Dec. 27th 28th 29th and 30th 1907. are intended to give an outline of Yoga in order to prepare the student to take up for practical purposes the Yoga sutras of Patanjali the chief treatise on Yoga. I have on hand with my friend Bhagavan Das as collaborateur a translation of these Sutras with Vyasa s commentary and a further commentary and elucidation written in the light of Theosophy. FN 2 These have never been finished or printed. To prepare the student for the mastering of that more difficult task these lectures were designed hence the many references to Patanjali. They may however also serve to give to the ordinary lay reader some idea of the Science of sciences and perhaps to allure a few towards its study. Annie Besant Table of Contents Lecture I. The Nature of Yoga 1. The Meaning of the Universe 2. The Unfolding of Consciousness 3. The Oneness of the Self 4. The Quickening of the Process of Self-Unfoldment 5. Yoga is a Science 6. Man a Duality 7. States of Mind 8. Samadhi 9. The Literature of Yoga 10. Some Definitions 11. God Without and God Within 12. Changes of Consciousness and Vibrations of Matter 13. Mind 14. Stages of Mind 15. Inward and Outward-turned Consciousness 16. The Cloud Lecture II. Schools of Thought 1. Its Relation to Indian Philosophies 2. Mind 3. The Mental Body 4. Mind and Self Annie Besant 2 Lecture III. Yoga as Science 1. Methods of Yoga 2. To the Self by the Self 3. To the Self through the Not-Self 4. Yoga and Morality 5. Composition of States of the Mind 6. Pleasure and Pain Lecture IV. Yoga as Practice 1. Inhibition of States of Mind 2. Meditation with and without Seed 3. The Use of Mantras 4. Attention 5. Obstacles to Yoga 6. Capacities for Yoga 7. Forthgoing and Returning 8. Purification of Bodies 9. Dwellers on the Threshold 10. Preparation for Yoga 11. The End