Mircea Eliade: Yoga and Immortality – Prologue
PROLOGUE
The story of the discovery and interpretation of India for the European mind is really exciting.
Not-so we shall regret the discovery geogrdfico, linguistic and literary, or
shipments and searches, in a word, everything that constitutes the foundation of Hinduism Europe, but mainly to cultural adventures caused by the increasing revelation of the lan-guages, Indian myths and philosophies.
Raymond Schwab, in his beautiful book La Renaissance Orientale (Payot, 1948) has described a good number of these cultural adventures.
But the discovery of India prosi-gue, and nothing makes us think that this brought to term, because a culture andlisis reveals fordnea primarily as buscdbamos or what estdbamos prepared to discover.
The Discovery of India habrd recently completed when the creative forces of Europe are inevitably exhausted.
When it comes to spiritual values, the contribution of philology, however indispensable it may be, does not exhaust the richness of the object.
It would certainly have been superfluous to want to understand the budis-mo while the texts were not edited correctly, and how-do the various Buddhist philology were not formed yet.
Ana-give that comprehension of this vast and complex spiritual phenomenon was not infallibly secured by these excellent instruments work are critical issues, multilingual dictionaries, the historical monograph.
Of abor-give an exotic spiritualism, especially man understands what std predestined to understand their vocation, their own cultural orientation and the orientation of the ‘historical moment it belongs to.
This truism is of general application; The image we have created the “inferior societies” during the nineteenth century, largely derived from the positivist attitude, anti-religious and a-metaphysics of some excellent
explorers and ethnologists, who treated “savages” with the ideology of a contempordneo of Auguste Comte, Darwin or Herbert Spencer was found between “primitives” in any aspect, “fetishism” and “childish” religious, simply because you could not see anything else.
It took the thrust of European metaphysical thought-border ate of this century, the religious revival, the multiple procurement action of depth psychology, poetry, the microphysics, in order to understand the spiritual horizon of the ” primitiveing “the structuring of its symbols, the function of its myths, its mystical maturity.
In the case of India, the difficulties were considerable mds even, on one hand, it was necessary to forge the tools, advance the philology; on the other hand, selecting those aspects of Indian spiritualism mds permeable to the European mentality.
But, as expected, what seemed mds-permeable was just mind what mds replied to the urgent problems of European culture.
The interest in comparative philology Aryan-Hindu, was mainly forcing sdnscrito study by mid-nineteenth cen-tury, as well as one or two
generations atrds, India was seen “taking place under the impulse of philosophy idealistic or through the charm of the primary imdgenes who had just returned to discover the romanticismo alemdn.
During the second half of last century, India was interpreted primarily in terms of mythology naturist and cultural fashion that the latter had established in Europe and America.
Finally, the rise of sociology and cultural anthropology in the first quarter of this century, has inspired new perspectives.
All these experiments were the prize because respon-dian primarily to the problems inherent in European culture.
While the various access methods used by Western scholars could not always reveal the intrinsic values of spirituality hindu, why not give less help and little by little, the co-Menz India to assert its presence in the European consciousness.
It is true that for a long time, this presence is revealed particularly in comparison gramdticas scanty, timidly, India made their appearance in histories of philosophy, where the oscillating position laba, according to the fashion of the day, between the alemdn idealism and “mint-ability pre-logic” when the interest in sociology was imposed, there were long epilogue on the caste system.
But all these attitudes are explained by taking into account the horizons of modern Western culture.
When a culture included among its capital problemus the explanation of a language law or a social struc-turing, invoking to India to resolve this etymology or illustrate such a stage of social evolution, did not mean to diminish India, was well mds assurances of respect and admiration.
Moreover, the forms of access were not bad in itself, they were just too individual, and your opportunity to unveil the spiritual content of a large and complex intellectualism was limited, because of that, to the same extent.
Fortunately, the methods are perfect and the failures of the past is not lost: soon learned to not renew the mistakes of predecessors.
Simply measure the progress of the studies of Indo-European mythology, from Max Muller, po-der to judge the gains that draw a George Dumézil knew, so no-regret of comparative philology, but also of sociology, of history of religions and ethnology to give a precise and infinitely mds mds fruitful, major categories of the mythical Indo-European thought.
Everything leads us to believe that at the current time becomes possible mds exact knowledge of Hindu thought.
India has entered the circuit of History and the European spirit, rightly or wrongly, is inclined to take seriously mds philosophies present people in
history.
Moreover, especially after the last generation philosophical, std European spirit being taken on an increasingly intense mds defined with respect to issues of temporality and historicity.
During mds of a cen-tury, the better part of the European scientific and
philosophical effort was devoted to andlisis of the factors “condition” to be human hand could be demonstrated to what extent cudnto and std man conditioned by his physiology, by their heredity, their social, cultural ideology involved, by his subconscious, and, above all, by history, by its historical moment and by their own uniqueness personal history.
This latest discovery of Western thought, namely that man is essentially an temporal and historical, that is not, nor can it stop being “a product of the history, philosophy still dominates Europe.
Some philosophical reach the conclusion that the only task worthy and valuable offered to man, is free and fully assume this temporality and historicity this case any choice would be equivalent to an escape toward the abstract and untrue and would pay the sterility and death, which inexorably punished in the treason made history.
Not for us to discuss these arguments. Senalonos however, that the problems that excite the European consciousness prepare pupils to better understand the Indian spiritualism:
mds Moreover, the in-cite to use for his own philosophical work, an ancient Indian experience.
To explain: it is the human condition which constitutes the subject of recent
mds European philosophy, especially human temporality, the temporality is what makes possible all other “constraints” and that, ultimately, makes man a being “conditioned”, a series of vague and evanescent “conditions”.
However, this problem of “conditioning” of man (and its corollary, almost neglected in the West: the “de-conditioning”) is the central problem of Indian thought.
From the Upanishads, India did not feel worried mds than one problem, and large: the structuring of the human condition. (What he has done that, not
without reason, that all Indian philosophy has been and is still “existentialist.”)
Europe would have interest in learning because: 1) what India has thought of the multiple “conditioning” human, °) how I approach the problem of temporality and historicity of man, °) solution found for the anguish and despair, inevitably triggered by the notion of temporality, the parent of all ” constraints.
India is dedicated, with unparalleled rigor on the other hand, to analyze various human condition.
We hasten to add that he did not to reach a precise and coherent explanation of man you (such as in Europe in the nineteenth century, when it was believed to explain the man’s hereditary or social conditioning), but to know far areas ranging swim conditions of human beings and see if there is something even beyond these conditions.
It is for this reason that, long before the deep psychology of the sages and ascetics Indians felt compelled to explore the dark areas of the subconscious, had found that the physiological condition, social, cultural and religious were relatively fdciles to delimit and therefore, to dominate, the major obstdculos for ascetic and contemplative life arose from the activity of the subconscious, of vasana samskara and “impregnation”, “waste”, “latency” which is what the psychology of what designated as deep content and structure-tions of the subconscious.
Moreover, this anticipation is not pragmdtica certain modern psychological
techniques as really valuable, but their use in order to “deconditioning” of man.
Since knowledge of the systems of “conditioning” could not, as far as India, have your goal in itself, it was important not knowledge, but the master, is working with the contents of the subconscious to “burn .
Already truth through yoga methods that hopes to reach such amazing results.
And these results are primarily of interest to the psychologists and
philosophers of Europe.
That we understand well: it is not in any way pro-prdctica Yoga put to European scholars, which otherwise is difficult mds glimpse of what some fans, or pro-set to various Western disciplines, the application of the me-yoga or taking all their ideology.
Another approach seems fruitful mds mu-cho, which is to study it carefully mds possible the results obtained by such methods of exploring the psyche.
All immemorial experience concerning the human con-duct is generally offered to European researchers, would be unwise, at least not draw out of it.
As mentioned above, the problem of the human condition, ie temporality and historicity of human beings, super-carriers are at the core of European thought and obsessed same problem from the outset, the Indian philosophy.
It is true that the terms found in this “history” and “historicity” in the sense that currently have in Europe, and rarely founding the word “temporary.”
Moreover, it was impossible Encon-trarlos under a precise description of “History” and “historicity”.
But the important thing is not the identity of philosophical terminology: it suffices that the problems are homologous.
However, it is wise mu-cho atrds time that Indian thought attaches considerable importance to the concept of Maya, which resulted, quite rightly, by illusion, cosmic illusion, illusion, magic, becoming, unreality, and so on.
But, mds observe closely, we realize that Maya is “illusion” because it participates in the Self, because it is “becoming”, “temporality” cosmic evolution, certainly, but also historical events.
It is therefore possible that India has not ignored the relationship between illusion, temporality and human suffering, though in general have expressed their wise that suffering in cosmic terms, we realize, on reading them with due attention, they thought of human suffering as a “becoming” is “conditioned by the structures of temporality.
We have tried and that problem (Symbolisme religieux et angoisse, collective volume.
Goisse L’an-du temps present et les devoirs de l’esprit. Inter-national meetings in Geneva, 1953) and we shall return to it.
What the modern Western philosophy called “being in situation”, “consist of temporality and historicity,” is to-parallel in Indian thought “existence in the Maya.”
If you reach-ing to approve the two horizons flosoficos-Indian and western-everything India from thinking about the Maya offers some today for us.
We will realize this when eading, for example, the Bhagavad-Gita, the and lisis of human existence takes place in a language that is familiar: the illusion Maya is not only cos-economic, but also and primarily historical, not only existence in the eternal cosmic evolution, but especially life
in the Tieme-po and in history.
Bhagavad-Gita for the problem arose, just as in Christianity, in these terms: HOW you solve the paradoxical situation created by the dual fact that the man on the one hand, is in the time devoted to history Std and on the other
side knows that SERD “doomed” if they become consumed with the temporality and historicity, and that, therefore, must find at any price, in the world, a path leading to a trans-historical and a-plan temporary?
It leerd mds forward the discussion of the problems posed by the Bhagavad-Gita, but noted that they all represent different solutions applica-tions of Yoga.
Thus we find here too, Yoga. Indeed, the third point above mds, concerning Western philosophy, namely the solution proposed by India to trigger panic-nothing for the discovery of our temporality and historicity, the means by which one can remain in the world without being “consumed” by Time and by history, the answers provided by Indian thought imply mds or less directly, some knowledge of yoga.
We calculate, therefore, the interest it represents for European scholars and philosophers, familiarity with this problem.
Again, it is not accepted, quite simply, one of the solutions offered by India.
Spiritual value, not acquired as a new brand of automotive vile.
Above all, there is neither philosophical nor syncretism “Hinduization”, let alone for this heinous hybridity “spiritual” inaugu-pared by the Theosophical Society and continued, aggravated by the Innumerables pseudo-morph contempordneas.
The problem is com-plicated mds: it is important to know and understand a thought that occupies a front row position in the history of universal spirituality.
It is important to know now, because on the one hand, it is now, having been overtaken by the rhythm of History all cultural provincialism, we
are compelled-both Europeans and non Europeans to think in terms of World History and forge universal spiritual values and, moreover, is only now that the problem of the situation of man in the world dominates the European philosophical consciousness.
Now this problem is super-carriers at the heart of Indian thought.
Perhaps the philosophical didlogo behave, especially at first, some disappointments: many researchers and philosophers consider podrdn western Indian andlisis a little simplistic, and ineffective solutions proposals.
All technical terminology tax-true tradition is spiritual, not without a
lexicon:
it is possible that such western philosophers regard as outmoded, rough,
damaged the Indian philosophical lexicon. But these risks are minor didlogo.
Major findings of aca-bardn Indian thought to be recognized, under the guise of philosophical lexicon, and despite the.
It is impossible, for instance, no notice of one of the great discoveries mds India: the witness-consciousness, self awareness of their physiological and psychological structuring of their temporary status, awareness of the “liberated”, ie of one who has got rid of temporality and, therefore, knows the true, untold freedom.
The conquest of this absolute freedom, spontaneity perfect, is the subject of all philosophies and all Indian mystical techniques, but mainly through Yoga, one of the many forms of yoga, which India thought it could secure .
It is the main reason why we found it useful to draft a sufficiently complete exposition of the theories and prdcticas of Yoga, to tell the his-tory of its forms and increase the place of Yoga in the entire Indian spiritualism.
We started writing this book after three years of studies at the University of Calcutta (1928-1931) under the direction of Professor Surendranath Dasgupta, and after a sixmonth stay at the ashram in Rishikesh, Himalayas.
The first version, written in English, translated into Romanian by ourselves and retranslated into French for some friends, appeared in 1936 under the title: Yoga, Essai sur les origines de la mystique indienne (Libreria Bucarest-Paris. Orientalist Paul Geuthner).
The vices of youth and inexperience were there worse by des-such misunderstandings due to double translation: but still, the text was marred by many errors idiomdtiing and printing. Despite these serious shortcomings, the work was well received by specialists: the views of Louis de la Vallee-Poussin, Jean Przyluski, Heinrich Zimmer, V. Papesse, to cite only the missing, has long encouraged us to pre-pare a new edition.
The corrections included and the added material had resulted in a text that departs significantly from the 1936 edition, except for some pdrrafos, the book has been completely rewritten for the purpose of adapting it, where
possible, to the point of view.
(Part of this new version had been already used in the book published in 1948: Techniques du Yoga.)
In the footnotes, we have retained only a minimum of references.
The bibliographies and list of items, the precision required by
mds particular aspects of the problem and, in general, all technical discussions have been grouped at the end of the work in the form of short appendages.
We wanted to present a book accessible to the reader not internalized, without leaving the scientific rigor: the encontrardn Indianists bibliogrdficos supplementary materials and elements at the end of
the book.
ISERD necessary to add that none of the exhaustive bibliographies?
We have used the French translations of Pali texts and sdnscrito which we found convenient.
If the translation of the Yoga-Sutra and comments once we have departed the current interpretations, we do given the oral education of our teachers Hindu, and the first Professor Surendranath Dasgupta, whom we have translated and co-enced all important texts of yoga-darsana.
As it is presented, the book is especially directed to specialists in the history of religions, psychologists and philosophers. Most of the content Std commentary dedicated to different forms of yoga technique and history.
There are excellent works on the system of Patanjali, especially those of Dasgputa, we have not thought it necessary to dwell too much on that subject, nor on Buddhist meditation techniques, since this re-gard to have
an abundance of critical literature.
We insisted on the contrary, on the less known aspects or imperfectly studied: the ideas, symbolism and yoga methods, as expressed in Tantrism,
alchemy, folklore and aboriginal devocion.
We have dedicated this work to the memory of our patron, the Maharajah Sir ManindraChandra of Kassimbazaar Nandi, who allowed us to, through a scholarship, our stay in India, and the memory of our mds expensive teachers:
Nae Ionescu and Surendranath Dasgupta. In the teachings of the first start we owe our philosophical training and guidance.
With respect to Surendranath Das-gupta, not only introduced us to the heart of the thinking in-given: for three years was, in turn, sdnscrito our teacher, our teacher and our guru.
What all three rest in peace in their faith! We started the preparation of this new issue for some time, but we had not been carried out without the help of happy circumstances.
By agreeing on a research fellowship for the Bollingen Foundation, New York, allowed us to dedicate ourselves for several years to this book: that the directors of the foundation receives mds here my sincere gratitude.
Thanks to our dear friends, Dr. Rene Laforgue Laforgue and Delia, we could, since 1951, work-jar in unexpected conditions, have secured our deep gratitude mds. F
inally, we feel particularly obliged to our great friend, Dr. Jean Gouillard who, this time also, wanted to read and correct the French manuscript of this work, it’s a real pleasure for us to express our recognition.
Mircea Eliade Paris, 15 September 1954. ~Mircea Eliade, Yoga and Immortality, Page 2-7
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