The Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Samkhya Yoga emphasize the cultivation of wisdom. However, ‘wisdom’ may mean different things to different people, just as ‘enlightenment’ or ‘God’ might. Keep in mind that possessing wisdom may not only mean a person has a certain kind of knowledge, but it may also mean a person feels a certain way and/or behaves in a certain way.
1.) Give a general, one-line definition of wisdom that is consistent with all the yogic teachings
2.) Describe wisdom according to the Upanishads.
3.) Describe wisdom according to the Bhagavad Gita.
4.) Describe wisdom according to Samkhya Yoga.
5.) Does the practitioner of Patanjali’s Raja Yoga cultivate wisdom? If so, describe such wisdom. If not, explain why not.
6.) Does the practitioner of Tantra cultivate wisdom? If so, describe such wisdom. If not, explain why not.
Wow. Do you have a thesis due tomorrow?
yeah, the brain dont really understand yoga, 
it is for school but i feel so lost. I have tried to hard to write informed answers to her questions in the past and she has failed me in my efforts.
This looks like a fun class! The questions are extremely open - I don’t think we could give you good answers to these questions without knowing what was discussed in the class. I’m sure there are topics that were brought up that your teacher is looking for.
Is this a university course? Where? Maybe I’d like to take it!
Dear confused yogi, I think that you should do you own homework so that you may pass from a confused state to a wise one! Wisdom surpasses mere knowledge or intelligence since it comes from the experience of realisation. It is a quality the enlightened mind and heart together. Wisdom (prajna) is the opposite of ignorance (avidya), a word you will find often in the texts. You could even interpret all of yoga as a movement from the darkness of ignorance towards the light of wisdom. Now go and do your own homework!
Namaste,
After we come out of confusion, peace, love and wisdom
are synonyms.
Namaskar
Dear Confused,
The short answer is that:
To have wisdom you must know yourself
What is your self?
To know yourself, you must:
- Meditate
- Get a good teacher, or guru
Good luck
Understanding yoga is accomplished with the heart, not the mental force.
OK, I’ll bite. Try this one: Wisdom is the ability to discern the true nature of reality.
[QUOTE=Asuri;26182]OK, I’ll bite. Try this one: Wisdom is the ability to discern the true nature of reality.[/QUOTE]
Is the true nature of reality discernible?
Does a bear live in the woods? Can a mechanic fix your car? Can a doctor diagnose your illness? Do atom bombs destroy things when they explode? Can physicists calculate the trajectory of a rocket? Do you understand your girlfriend? Do you get my drift?
[QUOTE=Asuri;26426]Does a bear live in the woods? Can a mechanic fix your car? Can a doctor diagnose your illness? Do atom bombs destroy things when they explode? Can physicists calculate the trajectory of a rocket? Do you understand your girlfriend? Do you get my drift?[/QUOTE]
I know for a fact that the answer to the last two is a definitive no.
Yes, a bear lives in the woods (at least one of them does.) Whether that’s good enough to qualify as the “true nature of reality”. . . the word ‘reality’ has a massive direct referent, if it has one at all.
“a bear lives in the woods” is the true nature of one discernible fact, which participates in reality. Are humans equipped to discern all of reality? So far, I believe we are not. But we’re having a bear of a time keeping up with what we can discern, so this is not discouraging to me.
The bear living in the woods is just a question for which the answer is an obvious yes. I could also have asked, is the Pope a Catholic?
The mechanic and the doctor are examples of everyday situations where knowledge and wisdom come into play. A doctor or mechanic who does not understand the true nature of the reality that is presented to him or her might not be able to fix your car or cure your illness. Even a very good doctor might have to send you to a specialist to get a correct diagnosis. In that case he is wise to understand the reality of his own limitations.
The physicist is an example of an individual who has a very good and correct understanding of reality. His vision of reality is demonstrably true, and you can’t argue with success. But the same physicist might have difficulty in personal relationships, because that is a more subtle dimension or level of reality, that he is not as well equipped to handle. I believe that each of us is equipped with the potential to discern reality, but we do so on different levels with varying degrees of success, and within our own limitations.
[QUOTE=Asuri;26478]The bear living in the woods is just a question for which the answer is an obvious yes.
I believe that each of us is equipped with the potential to discern reality, but we do so on different levels with varying degrees of success, and within our own limitations.[/QUOTE]
I’m going to tease you just a little bit more about the bear because it is fun to do so. I sincerely hope this will be as fun for you.
There are lots of bears who do not live in the woods, and folks who are more familiar with them than they are with forest-dwelling bears might not think the “yes” is that obvious — Pic at National Geographic — but even they are led by the question to try to remember the bears who live in the woods, and to the obvious “yes”.
Does a bear live on an ice flow? Just as assuredly as a different one lives in the woods.
Why does this remotely matter? We can see in the questions we ask a clear illustration of the levels, degrees, and limitations we are working with right now. And awareness of those – more specifically, self-awareness of those-- also participates in wisdom.
A man has got to know his limitations. I can’t argue with the bear facts. I hope you enjoy our conversations as much as I do, Techne.
Dear Confused,
As you opened this thread:
I have tried hard to write informed answers to her questions in the past and she has failed me in my efforts.
Perhaps if you write from your heart it won’t be ‘hard.’ Experiment with [I]feeling[/I] what you read rather than just thinking about it…
With compassion, Namaste,
Nancy
P.S. Hmm…I would personally ask my professor (make apt.) to explain [I]her[/I] definitions…since she has failed yours.
A good teacher inspires…the brain sparkles…not hurts!
[quote=Asuri;26478]
The physicist is an example of an individual who has a very good and correct understanding of reality. His vision of reality is demonstrably true, and you can’t argue with success. But the same physicist might have difficulty in personal relationships, because that is a more subtle dimension or level of reality, that he is not as well equipped to handle. I believe that each of us is equipped with the potential to discern reality, but we do so on different levels with varying degrees of success, and within our own limitations.[/quote]
Physicists (and scientists generally) have the less knowledge of reality to my expereince. They mistake the sensorial for the real but usually fail to realize the real forces behind the sensorial phenomena. This is when they create their theories. Like that of evolution through survival of the fittest and environmental determination. The true genesis is shockingly different form what science holds true today, for example.
A scientist or physicist is a human being with very high book knowledge, and average wisdom. Wisdom is applied science. Wisdom is to know, instead of parroting suppositions. The human being has the chance to slowly aquire wisdom through his/her subjective expereinces. When one knows oneself anything subjective finds it place in the world, personal matters become universal ones, and the objective reality becomes personal. There is no subjective and objective no longer. There is unity. There is no fantasy and science any longer, there is Knowledge, what needs no demonstration because it is first hand personal expereince.
It makes sense though that to aquire this Knowledge one requires great inner strenght - after all independence and not depending on others is never easy. All moral practices are destined to develop this inner strenght. Knowledge is revealed only for those who can bear it. Yoga is one historic path of initiation to this Knowledge of Reality.
Hubert,
For someone who is educated and supposedly intelligent, you make an awful lot of generalizations based only on your own subjective impressions. Of course you are entitled to your opinions, but they should be recognized as just that, opinion.
I used the stereotype of a nerdy scientist to try and make a point, but that doesn’t mean that I believe the stereotype. I’ve personally known many engineer types who were just all-around bright people, who were also successful in their personal lives. I actually believe that the stereotype is false in most cases.
When one knows oneself anything subjective finds it place in the world, personal matters become universal ones, and the objective reality becomes personal. There is no subjective and objective no longer. There is unity…
The problem with statements like these is that they are counterintuitive and not supported by any evidence. Either you believe it or you don’t. In my opinion, a nerdy scientist who can make the lights work has more credibility.