2025.02.08

Beyond the Mind and the Body - Paramahansa Yogananda

Vibration

Article Table of Contents

A search for bondage and liberation
- The temporary birdcage of the essence of life and the body

A search for bondage and liberation

In modern society, we constantly receive information through our senses and live our lives responding to these stimuli. Feelings of joy, sadness, pleasure and discomfort can color our experiences and enrich our lives, while also sometimes causing us to suffer and limit our actions.

How dependent are we on these sensations? And if we could be free from our senses, what kind of world would it be like?

Based on the collection of lectures by renowned spiritual thinker Paramahansa Yogananda, The Eternal Exploration of Man, we delve into the essence of life and the liberation from the senses.

Through the ideas of Master Yogananda, we question the relationship between the body and senses that we usually accept as normal, and explore the possibilities that will expand beyond that.

If life is a temporary existence residing in the body, is it just a navigation tool? Or is it an essential element in our recognition of our own true nature? This article invites us on a journey to explore the answers to these questions.

The temporary birdcage of the essence of life and the body

Yogananda preached that the essence of life is not dependent on the body, but is purely free. He sees life as a temporary entity trapped within the "birdcage" of the body, and points out that the body is merely a tool for life to operate. As a result of long-standing connections to physical sensations and conditions, we have come to believe that they are ourselves. He argues that this illusion is the biggest cause of hindering our innate freedom.

While we are strongly attracted to joy and pleasure through the body, we try to avoid pain and discomfort extremely. However, from the Yogananda Master's perspective, these sensations are merely temporary phenomena and are unrelated to our essential being. He points out that excessive obsession with the body and senses is what makes us not free from suffering.

Interestingly, Yogananda likens this condition to the difference between day and night. During the day, we feel, touch and act on the world through our bodies. However, at night, through sleep, we experience deep silence, free from our senses. He explains that this sleeping state is evidence of human innate "freedom from the body." At night, we are temporarily freed from the bondage of the body and can exist as pure consciousness. However, when morning comes, consciousness returns to the body again, and daily life is repeated, trapped in sensations. In this repetition, we are unable to escape from a body- and sense-dependent way of life.

The path to liberation from the control of the senses and spiritual transcendence

Yogananda points out that being ruled by the senses, that is, being trapped in physical pain and pleasure, causes many pain and misfortune. Being trapped in a sense is like watching a movie and becoming so absorbed in the story that you forget you are in the cinema. We are so immersed in the "movie" of physical sensations that we are so empathetic to the story that we lose sight of our true self.

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 argues that it can be achieved through training. Psychological transcendence refers to an area beyond the senses, a state of pure consciousness that is freed from the bondage of the body and emotions.

A specific way to do this is by Yogananda Master cite fasting. By moving away from the feeling of hunger through fasting, you can see that your own life force is not actually dependent on food. He also says that by training his mind, he can overcome even the effects of the external environment, such as extreme heat and cold. He recounts his experience of removing the extreme heat from consciousness during his speech and erasing it in an instant. This episode vividly shows the fact that the function of the mind can control the physical environment and even the senses.

Furthermore, Yogananda teaches the importance of calming the mind and calming the waves of sensation through practices such as meditation and breathing. Through these practices, we develop the ability to observe and understand rather than be swayed by the senses. And you will be able to maintain a free mental state without being trapped by the senses.

The role of the senses and how to live beyond that

The effects of the senses are more than just pain and pleasure. Yogananda argues that the original purpose of the senses is to act as a "navigation tool" to guide humans as living beings and to better understand the world. Sensation signal danger, seek pleasure, and provides us with the information we need to survive and grow. But the problem, he points out, is that many people become overly trapped in that sense and forget about their own essential freedom.

We can compare our senses to "movies that watch with our mind." If you become too immersed in the story of a movie, you forget that you are in the cinema and start to feel like you are in the story. Similarly, when we become too immersed in the stimuli of our senses, we forget the fact that we are pure consciousness and that our senses are merely screens that reflect the experience.

However, if we can regain this perspective as an "audience", we can use our senses and choose a free way of life without being swayed by them. Sensation is just a tool, not us. By understanding this, we will be able to carve out our lives at our own will, not at the mercy of our senses.

As St. Francis called his body "Brother Donkey" we need to have an attitude of treating the body as a functional tool. The body is a vehicle for us to work and gain experience in this world, and has the necessary functions to do so. However, it is just a tool, not us. Understanding this allows us to be freed from our attachment to the body and senses and to approach a more free state of mind.

Training to utilize the mind, a path to mental freedom and practical approach

Specifically, how can we achieve a life that is not dependent on sense? Yogananda teaches the importance of training the mind and disengagement from the senses. This training can be consciously implemented in everyday life.

For example, you can start by consciously accepting small discomforts and difficulties. Through training to endure the minor discomforts that you feel in your daily life, such as heat, cold, hunger, fatigue, and more, your mind will begin to feel strong beyond the physical constraints. We are used to a comfortable environment, so if we feel any discomfort at all, we tend to avoid it. However, Yogananda says that by dare to accept discomfort, you can cultivate mental strength.

Additionally, he recommends sleeping in a hard bed, eating modest food, and avoiding excessive stimulation. These habits have the effect of weakening dependence on the senses and balancing the mind and body. We tend to live our lives that are so pursuing comfort and convenience that we are overly dependent on our senses. However, by experiencing inconvenience and discomfort, you can develop mental strength that is not swayed by the sensations.

With these training, we will be able to overcome difficulties at our own whim and gain strong mental strength that is not swayed by the senses. By acquiring spiritual freedom, we not only overcome real difficulties, but also have the power to regain the helm of our lives and move in the direction our hearts and souls truly aim for. Spiritual freedom is not just a shunning pain, but is an essential element in exploiting the joys of life to the fullest and achieving one's own potential.

The possibilities beyond the senses and invitation to self-exploration

Let's get into this idea and imagine how liberation would be if it were true. We have the potential to control one aspect of life, the senses, by just how we hold our mind. And beyond that, the essence of life that we have yet to fully understand, and the infinite possibilities of humanity.

The senses enrich our experiences, but also have the potential to bind us. By understanding this and correctly acknowledging the role of sensations, we should be able to live a more free and fulfilling life without being swayed by the sensations.

The answer to this question is not easy to find. However, Yogananda's ideas give us the key key to finding the answer. It involves pursuing balance between the mind and body and entering a world that transcends senses. Then, listen carefully to your inner voice and begin your journey of self-exploration. I hope this article will be a small step on that journey.

summary

Based on the teachings of Professor Paramahansa Yogananda, this article encourages exploration to discover the true self, freeing from the constraints of sensation. We tend to be trapped in our bodies and sensations, but conscious training allows us to control them and achieve a more free mental state. Through this article, we hope that readers will look back at themselves and realize the infinite possibilities that exist in a world that transcends their senses.

I hope that it will use the senses as mere navigation tools, take the steady life with your own hands, give your heart and soul courage to move in the direction they truly want, and help you take the journey of self-exploration.

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