On Esoteric/Exoteric

 

 

"When knowledge rises to this occasion, it enables one to look upon the world not as an object to be dealt with in any manner, but as a sea of forces which has not within it the distinction of inside and outside. The coming and going of the forces, their union and separation, makes no difference now to the enlightened person."
(Swami Krishnananda)

 

 

We live in what seems like two worlds; the exoteric world and the esoteric world.  In the exoteric world – the world “out there” we are surrounded by all kinds of phenomena – people, animals and things – and also the seemingly eternal distractions of our minds.  The substance that makes up phenomena in the exoteric world is translated into mental stuff that occupy most of our lives.  All our cares, fears and concerns are housed in the mind, and all our loves and hopes and our ongoing mental lawsuits as well.  The mind is truly a 24-7 operation, other than our brief time spent in deep, dreamless sleep.

 

The exoteric experience – from the view of Yoga - is where your flow of consciousness is from without inwards. It is an experience well known to us all.  We are affected by what is outside of us.  Things out there influence us, and very few things influence us as deeply as other people, especially if we lend consciousness to them, be it of a positive or negative kind.  Once we increase that consciousness energetically, we arrive at our experience of love or hate and an entanglement ensues that can deeply affect us.  This is because the exoteric world infiltrates into what we consider our esoteric world – the world of feelings.

 

However, for purposes of clarification only, I would like to divide esoteric here into two parts.  We tend to believe that once we are alone with our thoughts and feelings, we are in our esoteric (inner, private) world.  This can be misleading.  Our thoughts and our feelings influenced by thoughts are rooted in the exoteric world.  Examine any one thought and you will find the essential source of it in the world of phenomena.  Being alone and thinking about things and people and relationships and your experience of those is not esoteric as such. It does not help to think that you are enlightened or at peace or in meditation. These are direct experiences devoid of thought.

 

Esoteric (yogically speaking) means that the direction of your flow of consciousness is reversed. Instead of flowing towards the inside (of you), it now flows from inside of you towards the outside.  Your consciousness flow-direction reveals whether your consciousness is operating exoterically or esoterically and you can identify the consciousness flow-direction by whether you are influenced by outer phenomena or not. Since our experience is mostly exoterically (from there to here), we are influenced by external phenomena. The practice of Yoga balances this lopsidedness somewhat.

 

How do we get to a state of true, non-mental esoteric being?  How do we change the consciousness flow-direction? Well, it is not an overnight process to get it established as part of you. That usually takes years of practice – years of unlearning the established direction of the flow. Yoga suggests we can only arrive at that state via the practice of meditation, somewhat regardless of the Yoga orientation you choose to adopt and follow. Yet, with a little guidance and the right intention as well as a little effort, most people can get hints of the experience of this flow-direction change in brief meditation sittings. The yogic goal is to establish it as a constant - to live from here to there.

 

Meditation, essentially, is the key to your Self.  Not your perceived self; your real Self.  It is that consciousness you approach when you are alone, and that consciousness which you become in deep meditation.  You meet yourself at the edge of the change of your exoteric and esoteric consciousness. For most people this experience is disturbing. Just try to sit absolutely still for five minutes with no physical movement. If you succeed, try having and keeping only a single thought for the same period of time. For most of us, this is intolerable.

 

Meditation is a science, a skill, and an art form. It requires learning, practice, patience and dedication, and oh, yes, great courage, for you come face to face with your self - that very self that you have been neglecting for all these years - that self towards which your consciousness has been flowing, instead of it being able to be truly recognized and experienced as your very source of being - and the source from which it is to flow.

 

From the Sixth Discourse of the Bhagavad Gita – The Yoga of Meditation (Sivananda translation) – these helpful words (italicized) come to us, on which I will comment:

 

Let the Yogi try constantly to keep the mind steady, remaining in solitude, alone, with the mind and the body controlled, and free from hope and greed.

 

Keeping the mind steady means to not let it wander.  Concentration is a primary requirement of meditation.  We cannot concentrate when the mind is active and distracted by other people, whether they are physically around, or in our thoughts.  Hence, for purposes of meditation, the suggestion to remain in solitude, alone, not seeking out company or entertaining or socializing, in order to keep the mind and the body controlled – alone, quiet, having a quiet, concentrated mind, and a body that does not move, such as in a Yoga posture (a comfortable position conducive to bodily stillness).  Hope, and greed, such as the hope of gaining acceptance in a relationship, or the greed of the desire to obtain what is not given naturally are supreme distractions.  With the quieting of the body, then the mind, hope and greed subsides, and so do the entanglements of the phenomenal world.

 

In a clean spot, having established a firm seat of his own…  

 

A firm seat indicates on the one hand a stillness of body and mind, but also indicates that this be held to for an extended period of time - at least long enough to be effective.

 

There, having made the mind one-pointed, with the actions of the mind and the senses controlled, let him, seated on the seat, practice Yoga for the purification of the self.

 

The Self beomes purified in that you are no longer subject to the illusion of duality.

 

Let him firmly hold his body, head and neck erect and perfectly still, gazing at the tip of his nose, without looking around.

 

It is said that first, there are the objects, then the contact of the senses with the objects, followed by associated activity of the mind.  Since the process begins with the senses, they are “closed off” to the phenomenal world as the initial step to meditation.  The spine is a central pillar of Yoga.  Keeping it erect – and perfectly still – allows the energies to flow without hindrances.  The unrestricted, controlled flow of these energies purifies the being. The tip of the nose indicates the Third Eye with which can be ‘seen’ the esoteric world of the Self.

 

… having controlled the mind, thinking of Me and balanced in mind, let him sit, having Me as his supreme goal.

 

“Me” here refers to your true Self (as opposed to your perceived self – the self you conceptualize via your thoughts and ideas)

 

.... attains to the peace abiding in Me, which culminates in liberation.

 

In the stillness of mere being, freedom-absolute is realized.

 

When the perfectly controlled mind rests in the Self only, free from longing for the objects of desire, then it is said: "He is united."

 

The perceived self merges with the Absolute Self.  What you think is you becomes absorbed into the real You and there is no more distinction (duality, illusion) – only Oneness.

 

 

 

Other Writings