瑜伽八支分法 The Eight Limbs of Yoga

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在帕坦伽利的瑜伽经中，瑜伽八重的道路称为阿斯汤加（ashtanga），字面上的意思是“八支”（ashta=八，anga=支）。这八个步骤基本上是作为有意义和明确目标生活的行动纲领；作为道德和伦理的行为及自我修养的处方；它们引导人们关注自己的健康，帮助我们认识到我们本身的精神方面。

1.       制戒

第一支制戒，是人的伦理标准和感官的统一，关注我们行为以及生活中的举止。制戒是关系到我们众所周知的所谓金科玉律 “己所不欲，勿施于人”。制戒的五点：

1)        非暴力

2)        忠实

3)        不偷窃

4)        不纵欲乱性

5)        不贪婪

2．遵行

第二支同自我修养和心灵的准则有关。定期去寺庙或教堂去做礼拜，饭前祈祷，开发你自身的个人冥想练习，或者形成独自沉思行走的习惯，都是遵行习练的例子。

遵行的五条是：

1)        清洁

2)        知足

3)        热情，精神苦行

4)        自我研习

5)        敬奉神

3.       体式

体式，在瑜伽中练习的体式构成第三支。在瑜伽看来，身体是精神的神殿，对身体的关注是精神提高的一个重要阶段。通过体式练习，培养纪律的习惯和关注的能力，这两者对冥想都是必要的。

4.       调息法

通常译成呼吸控制，这个第四支由一些技巧组成，目的是为了掌握呼吸过程，同时认识到呼吸、心理和情感之间的联系。正如呼吸控制法的字面意思为“生命力的扩张”，瑜伽修炼者认为，这不仅是身体恢复活力，实际上是生命本身的扩展。你可以以一种独特的技巧练习呼吸控制法（比如，简单地坐立做一些呼吸练习），或者把它同你的日常瑜伽练习结合起来。

帕坦伽利阿斯汤加瑜伽的前四个分支关注个性的提炼，获得对身体的掌控，并开发我们自身对能量的觉知，所有这些都是让为了我们准备瑜伽之旅的第二阶段，涉及我们的感官，心理，并获得更高层的觉知。

5.       制感

制感，第五支，意思是收回或感知的超越。正是在这个阶段，我们做出有意识的努力，把我们的意识从外部世界和外界的刺激中收回。引导自己内观。这个收回允许我们客观地观察我们的渴求：有害我们身体的习惯以及哪些可能对我们内部成长产生干扰的东西。

6.       专注

正像每个阶段都准备我们到下一个阶段一样，练习制感，为我们专注创造条件，解除我们对外界的分心，我们就可以应对自身心理的分心，这当然不容易！练习专注的时候，这应该是在冥想之前练习的，我们练习如何减缓思维过程，通过在心理关注一个单一的物体：身体里的一个能量中心，一幅女神的画像，或者默默地重复一个声音。当然，我们已经在前面体式，呼吸和感觉的撤回三个阶段开发我们的关注力。在体式和呼吸控制法中，虽然我们关注我们的动作，我们的注意力是在移动的，当我们调整某个体式和呼吸技巧的许多微细之处时，我们的关注常常在移动。在制感中，我们变得自我观察。现在，在专注中，我们关注我们的注意力在一个单独的点上。关注的时间延长，会自然而然地导致冥想。

7.       冥想禅定

冥想或凝视，阿斯汤加的第七个阶段，关注的连续进行。虽然专注和冥想可能变为统一和相同的。但在这两者之间有一个清楚的区分界限。专注练习一点的注意力，冥想禅定是一个最终的状态，是不需要用心的强烈的感知。在这个阶段，心理是平静的，处在静止的状态，产生很少甚至完全没有思维。为了达到静止状态所需要的力量和耐力是十分惊人的。但是不要放弃。这个阶段如果不是不可能那至少也是一项艰难的任务，记住瑜伽是一个过程。即便是我们可能达不到“像照片一样完美”的姿势，或觉知的理想状态，我们可以从我们进展的每一个阶段受益。

8.       三摩地

帕坦伽利描述阿斯汤加的第八个和最后的一个阶段为狂喜的状态。在这个阶段，冥想者把他或她关注的点同超越的自我合并在一起。冥想者开始认识到，神同所有的生命之间的深奥的联系。有了这个认识后，就有“超过常人所能理解的和平”，经历极乐和与宇宙合一的境界。在表面上，这个看似高不可攀，有点像是“假装虔诚”的目标。然后，如果我们检查一下，我们生活真正想要得到的是什么。那么，快乐，成就感和自由难道不会出现在我们的希望、心愿和渴望清单中吗？帕坦伽利所描述的作为瑜伽之旅的完成，是在内心深处所有人所渴求的：和平。我们也可以进行一些思考，事实上，瑜伽这一最终开悟的状态，我们既不能买到，也不能拥有。只能经历这一过程，其代价就是不断地为这一追求而奉献。

In Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, the eightfold path is called ashtanga, which literally means "eight limbs" (ashta=eight, anga=limb). These eight steps basically act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They serve as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline; they direct attention toward one's health; and they help us to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature.

1.       Yama

The first limb, yama, deals with one's ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life. Yamas are universal practices that relate best to what we know as the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The five yamas are:

1)      Ahimsa: nonviolence

2)      Satya: truthfulness

3)      Asteya: nonstealing

4)      Brahmacharya: continence

5)      Aparigraha: noncovetousness

2.       Niyama

Niyama, the second limb, has to do with self-discipline and spiritual observances. Regularly attending temple or church services, saying grace before meals, developing your own personal meditation practices, or making a habit of taking contemplative walks alone are all examples of niyamas in practice.

The five niyamas are:

1)        Saucha: cleanliness

2)        Samtosa: contentment

3)        Tapas: heat; spiritual austerities

4)        Svadhyaya: study of the sacred scriptures and of one's self

5)        Isvara pranidhana: surrender to God

3.       Asana.

Asanas, the postures practiced in yoga, comprise the third limb. In the yogic view, the body is a temple of spirit, the care of which is an important stage of our spiritual growth. Through the practice of asanas, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are necessary for meditation.

4.       Pranayama

Generally translated as breath control, this fourth stage consists of techniques designed to gain mastery over the respiratory process while recognizing the connection between the breath, the mind, and the emotions. As implied by the literal translation of pranayama, "life force extension," yogis believe that it not only rejuvenates the body but actually extends life itself. You can practice pranayama as an isolated technique (i.e., simply sitting and performing a number of breathing exercises), or integrate it into your daily hatha yoga routine.

These first four stages of Patanjali's ashtanga yoga concentrate on refining our personalities, gaining mastery over the body, and developing an energetic awareness of ourselves, all of which prepares us for the second half of this journey, which deals with the senses, the mind, and attaining a higher state of consciousness.

5.       Pratyahara

Pratyahara, the fifth limb, means withdrawal or sensory transcendence. It is during this stage that we make the conscious effort to draw our awareness away from the external world and outside stimuli. Keenly aware of, yet cultivating a detachment from, our senses, we direct our attention internally. The practice of pratyahara provides us with an opportunity to step back and take a look at ourselves. This withdrawal allows us to objectively observe our cravings: habits that are perhaps detrimental to our health and which likely interfere with our inner growth.

6.       Dharana

As each stage prepares us for the next, the practice of pratyahara creates the setting for dharana, or concentration. Having relieved ourselves of outside distractions, we can now deal with the distractions of the mind itself. No easy task! In the practice of concentration, which precedes meditation, we learn how to slow down the thinking process by concentrating on a single mental object: a specific energetic center in the body, an image of a deity, or the silent repetition of a sound. We, of course, have already begun to develop our powers of concentration in the previous three stages of posture, breath control, and withdrawal of the senses. In asana and pranayama, although we pay attention to our actions, our attention travels. Our focus constantly shifts as we fine-tune the many nuances of any particular posture or breathing technique. In pratyahara we become self-observant; now, in dharana, we focus our attention on a single point. Extended periods of concentration naturally lead to meditation.

7.       Dhyana

Meditation or contemplation, the seventh stage of ashtanga, is the uninterrupted flow of concentration. Although concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana) may appear to be one and the same, a fine line of distinction exists between these two stages. Where dharana practices one-pointed attention, dhyana is ultimately a state of being keenly aware without focus. At this stage, the mind has been quieted, and in the stillness it produces few or no thoughts at all. The strength and stamina it takes to reach this state of stillness is quite impressive. But don't give up. While this may seem a difficult if not impossible task, remember that yoga is a process. Even though we may not attain the "picture perfect" pose, or the ideal state of consciousness, we benefit at every stage of our progress.

8.       Samadhi

Patanjali describes this eighth and final stage of ashtanga as a state of ecstasy. At this stage, the meditator merges with his or her point of focus and transcends the Self altogether. The meditator comes to realize a profound connection to the Divine, an interconnectedness with all living things. With this realization comes the "peace that passeth all understanding"; the experience of bliss and being at one with the Universe. On the surface, this may seem to be a rather lofty, "holier than thou" kind of goal. However, if we pause to examine what we really want to get out of life, would not joy, fulfillment, and freedom somehow find their way onto our list of hopes, wishes, and desires? What Patanjali has described as the completion of the yogic path is what, deep down, all human beings aspire to: peace. We also might give some thought to the fact that this ultimate stage of yoga enlightenment an neither be bought nor possessed. It can only be experienced, the price of which is the continual devotion of the aspirant.

     （By weyoga Ashish)