Yoga And West

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided text from "Yoga and West" by Swami Vishnu Devananda, focusing on the Jain context where relevant and the core message presented:

This excerpt from "Yoga and West" by Swami Vishnu Devananda, published as part of the Shri Pushkarmuni Abhinandan Granth, details his personal experience of bringing Yoga to the West and the reasons behind its receptivity.

Swami Vishnu Devananda began his journey to the West 20 years prior with only his faith in his guru, Swami Sivananda. His master had foreseen that the West was ready to embrace the ancient science of Yoga. Devananda observes that the West has achieved significant material success, with ample food, comfortable housing, and advanced technology. However, despite this material abundance and easy access to sensual pleasures, Westerners are not truly happy. Many have realized that material possessions do not bring lasting happiness and have begun searching for fulfillment elsewhere.

Unfortunately, this search has sometimes led individuals to drugs, a path Devananda suggests is ultimately futile. He emphasizes that the true answer to the search for happiness lies not in external means but within oneself. He uses the analogy of an old woman searching for a lost needle in a garden, neglecting to look inside her dark house where the needle might actually be. Similarly, the West, despite its "beautiful and luxurious gardens" of material progress, is missing a vital element.

Devananda presents Yoga as the "light" that allows individuals to find what they have lost within themselves. He notes that an increasing number of Westerners are turning to Yoga to "search within themselves for what they have lost." The ultimate goal of this inner search, according to Devananda, is the realization of "Tat Twam Asi" (Thou Art That), a profound spiritual understanding of one's true nature. He concludes with a prayer for the audience to achieve this illumination within their lifetime.

The excerpt also includes a quote about the benefits of Pranayama in Yoga, stating that it quiets the mind, leading to higher knowledge where the world is reflected clearly.

In the context of Jainism, while the text primarily focuses on Yoga, the underlying philosophy of finding happiness and truth within oneself resonates strongly with Jain principles. Jainism also emphasizes inner purification, self-control, and the pursuit of spiritual knowledge to overcome worldly suffering and attain liberation (Moksha). The concept of "Tat Twam Asi" aligns with the Jain understanding of the soul's inherent purity and potential for divinity, which is obscured by karmic matter. The emphasis on looking inward rather than relying on external pleasures is a cornerstone of the Jain path to spiritual advancement.