You can only fear death if you have died before.
– Sri Swami Satchidananda
The Yoga Sutras that I read was, of course, not in Sanskrit but the English translation. There are many versions of English translation available, plus various commentary by the modern sages and teachers. The one I read is a widely acclaimed one with translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda. While I have never read another version on The Yoga Sutras, after reading this one I do feel it’s an excellent resource for all spiritual seekers.
The book is comprised of four parts, covering both philosophy and practice. In terms of practice, as reminded by this ancient discourse of yoga sutras, the traditional practice of yoga is not limited to what modern people generally perceive what yoga is — the postures and movements. Instead, traditional yoga is a holistic spiritual practice that contains “eight limbs” and asana or posture is just one limb. So most of the people today only touch the surface of yoga practice.
In terms of philosophy, from my background of Chan Buddhism I pleasantly found that there is no difference and conflict between yoga and Buddhism essentially. I love the many analogies and stories presented in the book, to describe and explain the many common concepts shared by yoga and Buddhism. For example, Satchidananda provides a logical argument for why reincarnation is the reality. Particularly, he argued that the reason why people fear death is only because they have died before. The “fear” is an abstract idea that can only come into mind out of experience.
The commentary from someone with profound yoga background and experiences greatly complements the original sutras. The sutras are usually short and concise, but the commentary expands and augments it with personal experiences and examples.
I strongly prefer the ancient text over the modern writing by some self-claimed teachers. In the current time, there are way too many theories and ideas wrapped up in the form of books that are unverified and distorted and are simply invented by the authors. Not every M.D.’s or Ph.D.’s can write a book on spirituality or self-help, as such undertaking demands something much greater than human knowledge, yet however it seems everyone is able to produce one today.
If you want to learn more about yoga philosophy, read this one, the ancient text of yoga sutras. Get to the root, not stay on the branches.
