Some Notes on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: an important gem; an investigative approach to study

 

Why I read the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (an investigative approach to study)

 

The reason I read the Yoga Sutras is not to learn a system to follow.

 

The reason I read the Yoga Sutras is to learn what has been said about the human.

 

I am interested in liberation, salvation, ascension and Truth.

 

I am not interested in believing any theory, dogma or anything. I am interested in testing it out with the purpose of recognizing or arriving at Truth. Truth will not need to be proven verbally, but will be undeniably known to be true, like when it is realized that one is creating suffering for oneself due to some unattainable desire and by seeing the fact that it is of an imaginary nature, the problem disappears.

 

 

An Important Gem

 

A point that screams for attention is the distinction between thought and Purusha. In english, words are insufficient, so the sanskrit terms must be explained (explained in the Sutras; not here : ) ) I will briefly describe Purusha, because I am not an expert. It is that consciousness before the content of consciousness—that is, the higher Self before the self-image or thought-identification. The common man (I use the term "common" loosely), perhaps has thought about the difference between thought and such a consciousness, but even so, the thought is not the clarity. The clarity comes from direct understanding, non-verbal understanding, contact with the actuality. After all, a mere concept or theory of the distinction between thought and Purusha, would be just that—a concept, which is thought. It is said in the Yoga Sutras that this "intellective discriminination" between what exactly is thought and what exactly is the Purusha, or higher Self, is a necessary step in the process of liberation or union with cosmic divinity (if you will). In other words, when this distinction has been realized, there is a great shift in perception. This will be known to be True, without need for further proof. The change is the proof.

 

As this is the first of such a blog entry, I am not certain what will follow, but my thinking is that I may continue to post more points from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali which I find are of particular importance to be shared with those who are not yet familiar or who feel they may benefit from this condensed presentation of such points.

~MS 

Wood Forms Shop

Return to Equilibrium No.5

A New Painting: "A Cat: a question of perception" - with a rationale highlighting the conceptual direction

 

A Cat: a question of perception - 2024

The conceptual and thematic directions for the acrylic painting work on flat surfaces are becoming more and more clear as exemplified with this 2024 piece "A Cat: a question of perception". The recent work highlights psychology and perception, with a formal style consisting of flat, highly-abstracted representations, taken almost to the point of pure geometry. Symbolism of course is playing an important role providing the inspiration, meaning and raison d'ètre underlying the compositions. The contemplation of this piece begins with the first thought that may arise, which is that this animal may appear more dog-like than cat-like. This is a good start as it questions form, appearances and familiarity. It may already be apparent at this point that the title is referring not only to the theme of the painting but also the viewer's very perception and experience of the painting. How much do we know about cats? As much as we know, we will never have the experience of being a cat. Knowledge is always interpreted through the human faculty. The painting goes on to display a flurry of coloured shapes overlapping and intermingling with the cat face, hinting of naturally occurring spots on animal hide, as well as suggesting an imaginative and vague world prior to everyday existence. The mixing of the ethereal shapes with the cat face in fact threatens the existence of the cat image, again calling up questions of appearance vs. reality. After all, the real cat is never a fixed image (as in a realistic painting of a cat) but an incessantly moving form (as are all objects and creatures in this world). And if the whole quality of the painting does not already pull the viewer into the realm of contemplating perception and reality, the circular eye of the cat—blatantly disregarding any true perceptive data of an eye—will certainly remind the viewer that this work is addressing with force our abstracted ideas of objects in our world. 

Acrylic on Wood Panel 

18" x 24"