On Words … (edited)

 

 

"There is a secret law which we forget,-the law which connects our inner personalities with the inner personalities of others, even without our consciously knowing it. This inner act of spontaneous recognition is called 'prehension'. Prehension is a process by which we automatically relate ourselves to everything else in the cosmos."
(Swami Krishnananda)

 

     

Many people erroneously think of Yoga as only concerned with the inner world – the world of silence – and think of the outer world as the world of words, far removed from Yoga. But Yoga is not neglectful of the outer world. True, words relate to the outside world and Yoga relates to our inner being beyond words. However, the Upanishads suggest that a full life is not only to be lived in the inner world. Nor is it to be lived only in the outer world. In fact these scriptures council that those who go only into the outer world, neglecting as such the inner world, go into deep darkness.  And that into even deeper darkness go those who follow only the inner path.  A full life is a good balance of both, and true understanding requires full participation in both worlds.

 

The inner world makes up one half of a full life and should not be ignored. For that, there is Yoga. On the other hand, the outer world makes up the other half of a full life and that should not be ignored either. In the outer world one of our greatest pastimes is communication.

 

We all have a need to communicate.  In fact, we essentially define our public and private selves through our words and also our understanding of what others express to us, but before we pay too much attention to words, our own and those of others, let’s examine some linguistic properties related to communication.   

 

Most of us never develop great language proficiency beyond a certain point, and yet our capacity to communicate is directly influenced by our linguistic competence. To speak we need to learn a complex language acquired through culture and learning.  Language and its associated ideas contribute to the very creation, content and development of our minds.  Everything in our minds has a name and a description.  Our minds, via speech (driven by our will), utilize language to communicate something about us to ourselves and the world.  The associated emotional ties connected to words and ideas are also created and cultivated in the mind. Now, considering that our minds are mostly jumbled and unorganized, language seems a quite dubious tool for the expression of sophisticated concepts that we find in Yoga.  Furthermore, our words are frequently motivated by specific personal factors and judgments and assessments of what is said and of what is heard.

 

Not only are we faced with the challenge of expressing ourselves, we also must hear others. This presents its own obstacles.  The interpretation of words by the listener mimics in reverse the creation and verbalization of thoughts and ideas by the speaker.  The sound strikes the ear and goes through a process of physical pathways and neurons to get to the mind.  There, with whatever capacity the mind has at that moment, the words and meanings are recreated into those of the listener and may not exactly be what was originally intended by the speaker. So we have language limitations, a usually cluttered mind, the fairly infantile yet constant companion called the mouth, personal influences, interpretive distinctions and so on. All of which are fueled by a will whose intent is not always clear to us.  Mostly the mind is in a terrifying state of disarray and ignorance, yet it is exactly during those times that most communication occurs. 

 

Yoga identifies three constantly shifting mental qualities, called “Gunas” (ignorance, passion, or pureness) ever present in us, and we find ourselves, at all times, influenced by one of these three qualities.  We are, at any one time, either in a state (a quality) of inert ignorance, passionately involved, or pure.  The qualities affect our very experience of life and of ourselves, and they markedly influence our actions and thought patterns.  According to the evolution of a person, one of these qualities also predominate, thus occupying a greater period of time – much like having a pie with one larger slice and two smaller slices.  Fortunately, in some sense, the pie is continuously revolving, and the individual will experience, by the movement of Nature, all three qualities in a given period of time.     

     

All these factors on their own, not to mention combined as they often are, produce a precarious situation to say the least.  Having traveled a quite perilous journey, it is no wonder that words spoken and the words heard can be so easily misinterpreted. So it seems odd that people attribute such significance to words of others, while at the same time consider their own words and meaning to be so apparently clear to others.

 

Some words of caution seem appropriate: Be aware of the words of others when it is clear that their predominant state at the time is other than pure.  Be mindful of your own state when communicating, otherwise, it may be advisable to remain silent. Take note to what the Tao Te Ching counsels us about words: "Knowing when to stop is of the highest good.  When there are words, it is time to stop". 

 

While we cannot always stop our words, we can contribute to better communication by calming the mind - the source of words - before we speak.  We should also refine our listening skills.  Listening produces more valid results when the mind is tranquil and the predominant mental quality is pure.

 

Those who come to the practice of Yoga learn to create a more peaceful mind and obtain a greater awareness of the predominant quality in themselves and others, communicate less unambiguously with themselves and with others, and attribute value to communication accordingly, particularly when dealing with the subtle themes in Yoga.

 

They also learn to communicate subtleties when in a pure state and refrain from significant speech at other times.  They become deliberate and clear in their speech and are not led astray by words and meanings emanating from impure states in others or by their own interpretations while in such states themselves.

 

Before subtle communication, there should be a calm and peaceful mind.  Yoga leads to a calm and peaceful mind. In this way, through Yoga the inner world is attended to and made peaceful. From such inner peace proceeds clear and calm communication, and it is such communication that properly attends to the outer world. Hence, from peace within, peace without, and peace to all the world, or as Yoga so succinctly states this...

 

Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

 

 

Other Writings