2025.04.07

Beyond the Mind and Body ~ Paramahansa Yogananda

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The life of Paramahansa Yogananda, a modern yogi who transcended the mind and body and aimed for spiritual heights, contains many suggestions for us living in the modern society. Born in India and spreading the teachings of meditation in the United States, Yogananda served as a bridge between spirituality and science, East and West. And his teachings continue to influence many people across religions and cultures.

In this article, we will explore Yogananda's life and Kriya yoga in detail, focusing on his philosophy and influence. His teachings continue to provide hope and enlightenment to many people as a way to unify the mind and body and find inner peace. We will delve further into how his message is received by modern people and what kind of story lies behind it.

Article Contents

The Quest for Bondage and Liberation
- The essence of life, the temporary "birdcage" of the body

The Quest for Bondage and Liberation

In modern society, we constantly receive information through our five senses and live our lives in response to these stimuli. Sensations of joy, sadness, pleasure, and discomfort can color our experiences and enrich our lives, but they can also be a factor that can sometimes torment us and limit our actions.

How much do we depend on these senses? And if we could be free from our senses, what kind of world would it be?

Based on the collection of lectures by the renowned spiritual thinker Paramahansa Yogananda, The Eternal Quest of Man, the book delves deeply into the nature of life and liberation from the senses.

Through Yogananda's thoughts, we will re-examine the relationship between the body and the senses that we usually take for granted, and explore the possibilities that lie ahead.

If life is a transient entity that dwells in the vessel of the body, is the senses merely a navigation tool? Or is it an essential part of our understanding of our true nature? This article takes us on a journey in search of answers to these questions.

The essence of life, the temporary "birdcage" of the body

Yogananda teaches that the essence of life is not dependent on the physical body, but is purely free. He sees life as an entity temporarily confined to the "birdcage" of the body, and points out that the body is merely a tool for life to operate. As a result of our long association with bodily sensations and conditions, we have come to believe that they are ourselves. This illusion, he argues, is the biggest obstacle to our innate freedom.

While we are strongly attracted to physical pleasure and pleasure, we try to avoid pain and discomfort to the extreme. However, from Yogananda's point of view, these sensations are only temporary phenomena and have nothing to do with our essential being. He points out that excessive attachment to the body and the senses is what keeps us from suffering.

Interestingly, Yogananda likens this state to the difference between day and night. During the day, we feel, touch, and act on the world through our physical bodies. However, at night, we move away from our physical bodies through sleep and experience a deep stillness that is free from our senses. He explains that this state of sleep is evidence of the "freedom from the body" that humans inherently have. At night, we are temporarily freed from the bondage of the physical body and can exist as pure consciousness. However, when morning comes, consciousness returns to the body, and the daily life trapped by the senses is repeated. In this repetition, we are stuck in a way of life that depends on the body and the senses.

Liberation from the domination of the senses and the path to spiritual transcendence

Yogananda points out that being dominated by the senses, that is, being trapped in physical pain and pleasure, causes a lot of suffering and unhappiness. Being caught up in your senses is like watching a movie and being so immersed in the story that you forget you're in the cinema. We are so immersed in the "movie" of our physical sensations that we become so emotionally invested in the story that we lose sight of our true selves.

But, on the contrary, if we could let go of our senses and be free from them, how great liberation would it bring? Yogananda calls it "spiritual transcendence" and claims that it is achievable through training. Spiritual transcendence refers to the realm beyond the senses, a state of pure consciousness that is free from physical and emotional bondage.

As a concrete way to do this, Yogananda cites fasting. By moving away from the feeling of hunger through fasting, you can see that your life force is not actually dependent on food. He also says that by training the mind, even the effects of the external environment, such as extreme heat and cold, can be overcome. During his lectures, he recounted an experience in which he removed extreme heat from his consciousness and erased it in an instant. This episode vividly illustrates the fact that the workings of the mind can dominate the physical environment and even the senses.

In addition, Yogananda preaches the importance of quieting the mind and calming the waves of the senses through practices such as meditation and breathing exercises. Through these practices, we can develop the ability to observe and understand our senses rather than being swayed by them. And you will be able to maintain a free state of mind without being trapped by your senses.

The Role of the Senses and the Way of Living Beyond Them

The effects of the senses are not limited to pain and pleasure. Yogananda explains that the original purpose of the senses is to guide us as living beings and to act as a "navigation tool" to better understand the world. The senses warn us of danger, seek pleasure, and provide us with the information we need to survive and grow. The problem, he says, is that many people get so caught up in that feeling that they forget their intrinsic freedom.

We can compare our senses to a movie that we watch with our hearts. If you immerse yourself too much in the story of a movie, you will forget that you are in the cinema and you will feel as if you are in the story. Similarly, when we become too immersed in sensory stimuli, we forget the fact that we ourselves are pure consciousness and that the senses are just a screen reflecting that experience.

However, if we can regain this perspective as a "spectator," we can choose to live freely without being swayed by it, while using our senses. The senses are just a tool, not ourselves. By understanding this, we will be able to carve out our own lives of our own volition without being at the mercy of our senses.

Just as St. Francis called our body "Brother Donkey," we need to treat our bodies as functional tools. The physical body is the vehicle on which we operate and gain experience in this world, and it has the necessary functions to do so. But it's just a tool, not ourselves. By understanding this, we can free ourselves from our attachments to our bodies and senses and move closer to a freer state of mind.

Mind-Conscious Training, Paths to Spiritual Freedom and Practical Approaches

Specifically, how can we achieve a way of life that does not depend on our senses? To do this, Yogananda emphasizes the importance of training the mind and detachment from the senses. This training can be practiced consciously in everyday life.

For example, you can start by consciously accepting small discomforts and difficulties. Through training to endure the minor discomforts of everyday life, such as heat, cold, hunger, and fatigue, the mind will begin to feel strength beyond the limitations of the physical body. We are so accustomed to a comfortable environment that we tend to try to avoid it if we feel even the slightest discomfort. However, Yogananda says that by daring to accept discomfort, we can cultivate strength of mind.

In addition, he recommends sleeping in a hard bed, eating frugally, and avoiding excessive stimulation. These habits have the effect of reducing reliance on the senses and balancing the mind and body. We tend to live our lives overly dependent on our senses in our pursuit of comfort and convenience. However, by daring to experience inconvenience and discomfort, you can cultivate mental strength that is not swayed by your senses.

With these trainings, we will be able to overcome difficulties at will and gain a strong mental strength that will not be swayed by our senses. Achieving spiritual freedom gives us the strength to not only overcome the difficulties of reality, but also to regain control of our lives and move our hearts and souls in the direction we truly want to go. Mental freedom is an essential element not only to avoid suffering, but also to maximize the joy of life and reach one's full potential.

An invitation to possibilities and self-exploration beyond the senses

Let's touch on this idea and imagine how liberating it would be if it were true. We have the potential to control one aspect of our lives, the senses, with just one mindset. Beyond that, the essence of life that we have not yet fully understood, and the infinite possibilities of human beings, are expanding.

The senses, while enriching our experience, also have the potential to bind us. By understanding this and correctly recognizing the role of the senses, we should be able to live a freer and more fulfilling life without being swayed by them.

The answer to this question, "Who is my true self?" is not easy to find. However, Yogananda's thought gives us an important key to finding the answer. It is about pursuing a balance between mind and body, and stepping into a world beyond the senses. Listen to your inner voice and begin your journey of self-exploration. We hope this article will be a small step towards that journey.

Summary

This article is based on the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda and encourages the quest to free oneself from the constraints of the senses and discover one's true self. We tend to be trapped in our bodies and senses, but with conscious training, we can control them and achieve a freer state of mind. Through this article, we hope that readers will reflect on their inner selves and realize the infinite possibilities that exist in a world beyond the senses.

We hope that you will use your senses as a mere navigation tool, take the helm of your life into your own hands, give your mind and soul the courage to move in the direction they truly want to go, and help you embark on a journey of self-exploration.

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