yoga sutras chapter 2 lecture 1

Question 1

What is kriya yoga and what are the step?

Answer 1

Kriya yoga is the process of serving god and performing good actions to weaken kleshas. This can be done by 1. disciplining oneself-controlling ones mind, 2. studying sacred texts and 3. devoting oneself to god.

Question 2

Sutra 2: what is the purpose of kriya yoga

Answer 2

The purpose is to

1. weaken kleshas
2. bring about samadhi (make it easy to achieve a medidative state)

Question 3

Sutra 3: what are the kleshas?

Answer 3

Unconcious feelings which cause thoughts tempting people to engage in actions that bind them to the material world. These are ego, ignorance, and desire.

Question 4

Foundation of all kleshas is what?

Answer 4

avidya: ignorance of the fact that the mind and body are distinct from purusha

Question 5

sutra 10: where does mind go after death?

Answer 5

The mind accompanies the purusha throughout each lifetime and contains the memories (samsaras) of each life inactivated in the subconcious. One a purusha is liberated the mind is leaves the yogi and merges into prakrithi

Question 6

sutra 11: what causes vrithis?

Answer 6

kleshas-unconcious feelings of ego, ignorance and desire

Question 7

sutra 12: kleshas are the root of karma:

Answer 7

These unconcious feelings are responsible for producing vrithis which cause people to perform actions which result in effects which impact the mind leading to more cause and effect actions. The negative or positive reprucussions of these actions are occur in the seen life (present life) or unseen life (future lives).

Question 8

sutra 13: how does karma dictate ones life

Answer 8

Karma determine the

1. quality of ones life
2. how long one will live
3. type of birth we take

Question 9

sutra 14: what determines karma to be good or bad. Can a person ever be completly happy, why or why not?

Answer 9

pious deeds: result in good karma
unpious deeds: result in bad karma
A person can never be happy because the desires they experience in any life can never be fully satisified.

Question 10

Sutra 15: what are the three things that cause misery in life?

Answer 10

1. ones mind and body-disease, mental health problems
2. other beings-abusers, offenders, and loved ones mistreating you
3. Environment-climate, natural disasters etc.

Question 11

sutra 16: what is it’s reassurance?

Answer 11

future suffering can be prevented

Question 12

Sutra 17: what is the cause of all suffering?

Answer 12

in order to understand how future suffering can be prevented you need to understand what the cause of future suffering is and this is when the mind and body (seer) come into contact with material matter/objects of perception(seen) resulting in embodiment.