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DavidC
03 October 2009, 06:04 PM
I have read a lot of Theosophy and seen the term 'Taraka Raja Yoga.' Madame Blavatsky said it included the ideas of all Yogas (except one) and so that it was the most advanced. She said it was esoteric in various Hindu schools of thought and also Buddhism--except in Buddhism they had to interpret 'anatman' as 'there should be no selfish self,' rather than 'there is no self.' She said Hatha Yoga is black magic. She said 'Hatha Yogis' do various difficult tricks for profit, but I do not accept that that is really Hatha Yoga. Doctors have proven the necessity of exercise.

I also think that Hatha Yoga done right purifies the nerves and makes it possible to meditate right and become enlightened. Maybe Blavatsky thought it makes you become enlightened too fast and then you lose enlightenment. This part actually makes sense to except nothing really brings permanent enlightenment until you are ready. Also if something makes you enlightened it is worthwhile: you are 'ready' when it happens. Enlightenment is not something dangerous that should be put off: it is best to go through it as soon as possible. It makes you a better person but not omniscient (unless a final enlightenment does): one still may need to develop practical wisdom after enlightenment. However if someone puts off enlightenment because they think some Yoga system is better than others, then they will not really be developing that practical wisdom until afterwards, and putting it off impedes one's progress and also prevents one from being a better person. Certainly there may be suffering after enlightenment when one is developing the wisdom on how to live by discarding the old selfish habits of the personality and choosing better things to do, but that does not matter: even gurus experience physical hardships, so it is not unreasonable for a person who newly realizes the truth to undergo some mental hardships as a result of trying to live their life by that truth.

Taraka Raja Yoga has an interesting history. Despite that sometimes I think Blavatsky had some kind of agenda (hopefully I am wrong) rather than just being misguided about certain things like Hatha Yoga, Taraka Raja Yoga also seems to be a very interesting Yoga. However Blavatsky is also said to not have lived her life by Ahimsa. I think she was still wise sort of like Vivekananda, who also did not. What do Hindus think of Taraka Raja Yoga whether they are Theosophists or not? Was it a small recent sect or is it really an esoteric tradition? An esoteric part is described on The Secret Doctrine page 157. It makes sense to me but I wonder what else there is in this Yoga system.