Buddhism & Patanjala Yoga — two different paths with the same goal
PS: It is the personal opinion of this Author that Buddhism as a Darasan/Sampradaya is ideal for the practice by the Individual, to attain liberation/kaivalya/moksha/nirvana, etc. But, its original form (as envisaged by Lord Buddha) cannot be practiced by any nation. Let us take the example of Tibet. No doubt, with the grace of Buddha, in the long run, it will win. For the time being, it is undergoing lots of struggle. Nevertheless, it is a Darsana in the Indic sense and cannot be demeaned at any level.
The ancient adage — Ekam Sat, Vipram Bahuda vadanti (Truth is one, the sages call it by different names) and the saying of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa — All the rivers lead to the same sea, holds good in case of both the Darsanas.
Let us ask a Woman from Venus to Practise Patanjala Yoga and a Man from Mars to practice Buddhism ( or the roles can be reversed). Assume that their ‘X factor (Karma & Sadhana) are the same, it will not be a surprise, if they reach the destination at the same time. Yes, my dear, it will be Nirvana for the woman and Kaivalya for the man — a thoughtless/limitless state, where the individual consciousness gets merged into the universal one.
Both the practices help the following:
- Individual
- Family
- Society
- Nation
- World
By itemizing the individual major components, one can understand the common/overlapping steps in both paths.
Buddha’s eight-fold path — Right view, Right Resolve or Intention, Right Speech, Right Conduct/Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Samadhi
Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga — Yama (conduct concerning others), Niyama (conduct concerning oneself), Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana, Samadhi
All these practices help the individual at the physical, pranic, mental/functional & intellectual levels (Though Buddhism does not talk about such planes explicitly, enough hints are given to illustrate the elements that fit into Pancha-kosha framework)
