How Ancient Yoga Philosophy will Emerge as a Solution to Future Challenges
Since the beginning of civilization, the human race has witnessed various changes in their way of living as individuals and as a community. From the closed system of kingship, the world has witnessed the phase of liberalization during the second half of the 21st century. Liberalization is the process or method of removing the state's influence over economic activities. It gives corporate companies more liberty in decision-making and eliminates government intervention. The concept of liberalization is seen in various dimensions of life such as economics, finances, arts, ethics, and many more. The core value of liberal society is based on either individual or community feelings and emotions. Liberalism respects the emotional instinct of humans over any other logic in the world. The major decision-making in a liberal society depends on their emotional state and individual core values.
Contrary to the concept of liberalization, the basis of our decision-making is now depending on the database provided to us through technology around us. With the advancement of technology, we are living in a world of highly evolved artificial intelligence and efficient biotechnological tools. Our medical and non-medical data is being continuously captured by the gadgets we are surrounded with. Government organizations and bigger corporate giants have enormous data about us. Our daily activities like online purchasing and internet surfing are being recorded and being watched by them. You would notice the subject you search the most on the internet, starts automatically popping onto your phone and computer the next moment. Cybercrime and hacking of computers, emails, smartphones, several online accounts has become a very common phenomenon nowadays. Gradually, AI would become a challenge when these organizations start analyzing and monitoring the human body and brain.
Dr. Yuval Noah Harari, Israeli public intellectual, historian, and professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has explained the concept of technology, human hacking through AI, and biotechnology in his book titled ‘21 Lessons for the 21st Century.’ Biological parameters captured through fitness devices could be used for behavioral changes analysis of humans and this pattern could be used to hack the predictable pattern of humans as a whole. More than our inner feelings, we would be relying on the data captured by devices, and our actions will be driven through data. Biometric features such as blood pressure, heart rate, body mass index (BMI), Fat-skeletal muscles ratio, level of activity through our movement, calories burnt, sleep cycle, etc. are being recorded through smartwatches today. The available data is driving our world and our confidence today where we are developing a fear from such information more than relying on our inner potential. The combination of biology with computer science would make ‘biometric surveillance’ a real thing.
Biometric surveillance is a technology that will invade our bodies and examine our emotions. This will allow the government and businesses to know how we are feeling at any given time. They will be able to track our doubts, fears, rage, love, honesty, and truthfulness, among other emotions. “If you have enough data about me and enough computer power and biological knowledge, you can hack my body, my brain, my life”, expressed as a concern by Dr. Harari during the world economic forum in Switzerland. He added that there will be a scenario upcoming where I can claim that the machine and data know me better than myself.
Now after understanding the crisis coming on the way, we need to focus more on ourselves and put efforts to know our inner engineering rather than becoming outward. Indian Yogic philosophy brings this valuable ancient knowledge of Yoga which emphasizes knowing your true self (Yoga Sutras 1.3: Tada Drashtuh Svarupe Avasthanam). The Yoga Philosophy was given by the Indian great sage Patanjali in his book “Patanjali Yoga Sutra” which drew its inspiration from the theories of Sankhya Philosophy given by Sage Kapila. Sage Patanjali defines Yoga as Yoga bringing us to a stage where a seeker experiences a complete cessation of mental afflictions (Yoga Sutra - 1.2 Yogas Citta Vrittis Nirodha). The mental afflictions are called vrittis in Yogic philosophy that can be compared with the waves in the water which keep stirring the water continuously and one can never see the base of the lake ever. Once the vrittis or waves are brought to cessation, one can visualize the base of the lake with greater clarity.
Sankhya Philosophy gives a comprehensive explanation of Human sufferings and divides them as per their nature into three types namely Adhidaivik, Adhibhautik, and Adhyatmik dukkha (Suffering). Adhidaivik Dukkha arises due to discourse and disbalance in nature to human beings such as thundering of clouds, lightning, and all kind of natural disasters causing damage to the world. Adhibhautik Dukkha deals with all kinds of sadness arising from the interaction of humans to worldly things such as human conflict, human-animal conflict, human and technology, and so on. Adhyatmik Dukkha talks about the sadness arising from the conflict in one’s mind-body complex. Our interaction with anything outside us is certain to bring us suffering as per the Sankhya philosophy as it invokes desire, strong liking, and intense disliking towards the things, people, and situations around us. All these three dukkha share a causal relationship for each other where one can act as the cause and the other would-be effect from the same.
Our mounting dependency on technology can be seen in the category of Adhibahutik Dukkha ultimately leading to Adhyatmik Dukkha or self-destruction. Sankhya further talks about the knowledge necessary for eliminating this pain through self-realization. Knowing your body-mind-soul complex is the meaning of self-realization. Indian scriptures identify a man in terms of 3 Bodies, 5 Koshas (sheaths), and 3 States.
Kosha (also, Kosa) is referred to as "sheath" or layers, coverings the soul according to Vedantic philosophy (Concept of Panch Kosha Vivek – Taittrayi Upanishad). According to the Kosha system in Yogic philosophy, the human body is not limited to only the gross physical appearance but its way beyond it. These Layers range from the dense physical body to the more subtle levels of emotions, mind, and spirit.
Here are the 5 sheaths (Pancha kosha) of Human beings:
- Annamaya Kosh (Food Sheath) - Outermost or gross physical body
- Pranmaya Kosh (Vital Air Sheath or the life force)
- Manomaya Kosh (mind as distinctly different from intelligence)
- Vigyanmaya Kosh (Intellect Sheath)
- Aanandmaya Kosh (Bliss Sheath or unlimited state of happiness - not connected with body or mind) - Innermost of the Pancha koshas
The outermost of the koshas is called the Annamaya kosha. This is the gross, physical body. This sheath is called annamaya as it is nourished and grown by food. It includes five organs of perception (sight, smell, hear, taste, touch), and the five organs of action (prehension, locomotion, articulation, excretion, procreation). This sheath is dense and slow vibrational frequency. This body continuously interacts with other koshas for its sustenance. Annamaya sheath is the place where the manifestation of other koshas happens and these are perceived in form of biometrics, genetic engineering, and so on in the scientific world. Biometrics such as heart rate, retina movement, muscle movement, BMI, changing facial expressions, the structure of DNA, and many more are captured by modern technology and these physical body data are being used to monitor us and later would be used to control the human race. But the physical body is just like the TV screen which is the manifestation of the thousands of pixels falling from a great distance onto the LCD in form of waves. Oher koshas like air sheath, the mental sheath, intellect, and bliss sheath are continuously interacting with the annamaya kosha and causing the manifestation. This makes it clear that the present world technology is only capturing 1/5 of information as data and preparing the algorithm based on this incomplete database.
Pranmaya Kosha is the air sheath that works as a bridge between body and mind. Yogic Breathing practices or Pranayama develops a balance between the body and mind. This kosha is responsible for the vitality in the body and the absence of prana in the body indicates death. As per Yogic literature, the prana body has 72,000 Nadis or astral pathways along which the Prana moves in the human body. The major energy centers found on the junction between 2 or more Nadis are termed as Chakras or energy wheels. The breath pattern affects the physical body and the mental state of the human body. Yogic practices of Pranayama uplift the energy level of annamaya kosha and enhances the positivity of Manomaya kosha.
Manomaya kosha is composed of manas or mind. The mind along with the five sensory organs of taste (tongue), smell (nose), vision (eyes), hearing (ear), and touch (skin) are constituents of the mental sheath. This sheath is a seat for human emotions and feelings. This kosha is much more powerful than pranayama and annamaya kosha. Through yogic practices and emotional culture, this kosha can reach its greater potential.
Vijnanamaya means composed of vijnana, or intellect, the faculty which discriminates. It is the sheath composed of intellect associated with the organs of perception. This knowledge sheath cannot be the supreme self for the following reasons; It is subject to change, it is limited, it is not constantly present.
The fifth or the Anandmaya Kosh is the innermost Kosh nearby of the Soul. In Advaita Vedanta, the Anandamaya kosha is the innermost of the five koshas (Pancha koshas) or "sheaths" that cover the Atman or Supreme Self.
Panch Kosha Vivek is a Vedanta idea that reveals deeper layers of human existence that can never be hacked or influenced by any technology in the world. This priceless wisdom from ancient Indian writings provides a method to live a yogic life, which aids in attaining serenity in human life. Yoga can provide a perfect balance to our internal and external worlds, allowing us to live a peaceful life even in the most demanding circumstances. A yogi has a better understanding of how to use technology in a balanced way. In this way, we can restore global balance in the face of the coming technological storm.