Dr Simon Reads...

  Chapter Nine: Yog Through The King of Sciences (Rāja Vidyā Yog) God Is Ghee.   Welcome to the next instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bhagavad Gita). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the Bhagavad Gita, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.   For more detail, see the introductory post https://bit.ly/2XAch2A For the online Bhagavad Gita that I use, see here https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/   And now:   Rāja Vidyā Yog “It is I who am the Vedic ritual, I am the sacrifice, and I am the oblation offered to the ancestors. I am the medicinal herb, and I am the Vedic mantra. I am the clarified butter, I am the fire and the act of offering. Of this universe, I am the Father; I am also the Mother, the Sustainer, and the Grandsire. I am the purifier, the goal of knowledge, the sacred syllable Om. I am the Ṛig Veda, Sāma Veda, and the Yajur Veda.”   What I find interes...

  Chapter Eight: The Yog of the Eternal God (Akṣhar Brahma Yog ) Turning Gears Of Existence. Plus: Don’t Die In October.   Welcome to the next instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bhagavad Gita). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the Bhagavad Gita, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.   For more detail, see the introductory post https://bit.ly/2XAch2A For the online Bhagavad Gita that I use, see here https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/   And now: Akṣhar Brahma Yog “ Arjun said: O Supreme Lord, what is Brahman  (Absolute Reality), what is adhyātma (the individual soul), and what is karma ? What is said to be adhibhūta , and who is said to be Adhidaiva ? Who is Adhiyajña in the body and how is He the Adhiyajña ? O Krishna, how are You to be known at the time of death by those of steadfast mind?” You may have the same questions as Arjun after the last chapter, where we ...

  Chapter Seven: Yog through the Realization of Divine Knowledge (Jñāna Vijñāna Yog) Not The Parable Of The Sower.   Welcome to the next instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bhagavad Gita). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the Bhagavad Gita, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.   For more detail, see the introductory post https://bit.ly/2XAch2A For the online Bhagavad Gita that I use, see here https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/   And now:   Jñāna Vijñāna Yog “I am the taste in water, O son of Kunti, and the radiance of the sun and the moon. I am the sacred syllable Om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether, and the ability in humans.” Krishna explains something of his nature to Arjun; how he is in all things (with that great verse above, and some others where he claims to be “ the pure fragrance of the Earth, and the brilliance in fire. I am the life-force in...

Chapter Six:   The Yog of Meditation (Dhyān Yog) Be A Yogi: They’re Smarter Than The Average Mystic.   Welcome to the next instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bhagavad Gita). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the Bhagavad Gita, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.   For more detail, see the introductory post https://bit.ly/2XAch2A For the online Bhagavad Gita that I use, see here https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/   And now:   Dhyān Yog “ To the soul who is aspiring for perfection in Yog, work without attachment is said to be the means; to the sage who is already elevated in Yog, tranquility in meditation is said to be the means.”   The main bulk of this chapter deals with Krishna giving advice on meditation. This covers technical matters – one must create a seat, an āsan , in a sanctified place, made from “ kuśh   grass, deer skin, and a cloth, one over th...