Psychology of Yoga and Meditation

The kleshas are karma, a highly remarkable concept.

It describes the disposition that we take with us into life, which causes us to live out a certain meaning, in a certain way.

Our entire life destiny is dependent on this karma.

It is the sum of the consequences of earlier existences, in particular the last existence before this one.

What I lived there, I take over into my new existence with me.

What we call “I” is an illusion and is ended by death.

But karma remains, a complex of the consequences of life, which arises anew, being carried over into a new existence.

This is how Buddhism explains it.

It is its intention to bring karma to an end, namely by recognizing that I act in such and such a way for certain reasons and therefore that I might stop doing this in order to be free of this karma that compels me to take up a new existence over and over again.

Through the kleshas a burdensome karma is created.

But if it is possible for me to quell these kleshas through yoga so that they no longer have an effect, then I do not create karma for myself that compels me to live. ~Carl Jung, Psychology of Yoga and Meditation, Page 16

By concentration (dharana), Patañjali understands the captivation of the cittam (i.e., ordinary consciousness) in a specific place, in other words, concentration through meditation (dhyâna), i.e., through contemplation of what I observe in the state of captivation and then through meditative consciousness (samâdhi), i.e., introversion, i.e., the focusing of all my interests upon this point.

Through this total restraint comes into being, i.e., in this way I can get hold of the kleshas by concentrating so that the kleshas no longer function automatically and can no longer cause me to lose myself in some sort of worldly interest. In brief, this is the purpose of the yoga method.

Until recently every educated Indian experienced this.

Every superior Indian has his guru who instructs him in this method.

No one can be a priest, philosopher, or psychologist if they have not practiced this method.

No one would ever just settle down in a quiet corner and read a few volumes of periodicals.

This concerns one’s own body.

It has different levels and practices, e.g., Râja Yoga or Hatha Yoga. I don’t want to comment on this—this is a matter for the Indians.

I have never met a European who has really benefitted from this method.

Read Brunton’s book or the author of Bengal Lancer.

This latter has described with refreshing openness a white man’s experiences with yoga exercises.  ~Carl Jung, Psychology of Yoga and Meditation, Page 17

There is a whole further series of similarly amazing wonders.

There are many such texts that have been circulated today by the Ramakrishna order. Sri Ramakrishna—Sri means “his eminence,” “the great,” even “the holy one”—you may know him from Romain Rolland and Annie Besant.

In Bengal there is a large monastery where the order has its headquarters.

The order is well-provided for with American money and distributes all sorts of texts about yoga in Europe.

Here in Europe there are countless missionaries, some of whom have quite substantial followings.

In America these followers have three temples.

Hinduistic syncretism with Hindu-Buddhist religious services.

You can read these things there also.

One of these prophets, Vivekananda, says, among other things, that the practitioner would look beautiful, would find the right words, etc.

There is always this shameless advertising for the splendid power of yoga.

I don’t want to say the same about this ancient text.

For all these things that are naively said of the effect of yoga are simply symbolic statements, and people who are really familiar with yoga are completely aware of that.

But they say to themselves: Let’s make allowance for these ways of expressing things.

It’s good for people.

Through this they will be enticed and thus live out their karma. ~Carl Jung, Psychology of Yoga and Meditation, Page 20-21

Ramakrishna (1836–1886), also Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Indian mystic, born Ramkrishno Pôromôhongśo into a poor orthodox Bengali Brahmin family, became a devotee and priest of the goddess Kâlî at the Dakshineswar Kâlî Temple.

Ramakrishna had mystical experiences from his childhood days on and attracted many followers throughout his life, among them his wife Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda.

His quest for God was not confined to Hinduism, but led him to contemplate other religions such as Christianity and Islam.

He concluded that the realization of God was the ultimate goal for any spiritual path.

His legacy has lived on through the brotherhood known as Ramakrishna Math.

Though he himself did not write down his experiences and teachings, his disciple Mahendranâth Gupta noted down Ramakrishna’s conversations and published them under the pseudonym M. The Sri Râmakrishna Kathâmrita [The gospel of Ramakrishna] consists of five volumes transcribed between 1897 and 1932.

The first complete English translation by Swami Nikhilânanda was published in 1942 (Gupta, 1942).

In his introduction, the translator expressed his gratitude to Joseph Campbell and Margaret Woodrow Wilson, the daughter of the U.S. president, for their help. Jung’s library in Küsnacht contained the following books related to Ramakrishna: Life of Sri Ramakrishna.

Compiled from various authentic sources (1925) by Swami Madhavananda, Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna (1934), Worte des Ramakrishna (Pelet, 1930), and Romain Rolland’s La vie de Ramakrishna [The life of Ramakrishna] (1929). ~Psychology of Yoga and Meditation, Page 20, fn 136