Samkhya Philosophy: Foundation for Yoga and Ayurveda

Chapter 1: The Philosophy of Samkhya

Outline
1. The Vedic and Non-Vedic Philosophies of India
The six vedic philosophies
The non-vedic philosophies
2. Why Samkhya Philosophy Is Distinctive
It enumerates the building blocks of our creation
Its model of reality is dualistic
3. The Goal of Samkhya PhilosophyFreedom from Pain and Suffering
The problem of removing pain and suffering
The state free from pain and suffering
4. Removing Pain: The Doctrine of Cause and Effect and the Techniques of Yoga and
Ayurveda
The doctrine of cause and effectthe basis for removing the cause of pain
Ayurveda and Yogathe techniques for removing the cause of pain
Why understanding Samkhya is important for Yoga practitioners
5. The Main Features of Samkhya Philosophy
There are three types of pain and suffering
We are a blend of pure consciousness and the material world
The purpose of the universe: overcoming pain and experiencing our pure being
Purusha and PrakritiSelf and non-Selfwork together toward the goal

Samkhya Facts

Samkhya is the oldest Indian philosophy and is the conceptual foundation for Yoga
and Ayurveda.

The principles of Samkhya were first taught in ancient times by the sage Kapila in
order, it is believed, to guide his mother.

The seminal text of Samkhya is the Samkhya Karika, compiled by Ishvarakrishna.

Meaning and pronunciation of the word Samkhya:

o Sam balanced, equal, harmonious
o Khya knowledge, understanding, wisdom
o The first a in Samkhya is longpronounced like the a in father.
o The m is a Sanskrit nasal sound pronounced like the n in monk.
(Samkhya is sometimes written with an n instead of m.)
o The second a is shortpronounced like the a in about.

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Lecture Notes
1. The Vedic and Non-Vedic Philosophies of India
A. The six vedic philosophies

The Vedas are a pool of revealed knowledge and information based on the
experiences over time of many sages and philosophers of the ancient Indian
subcontinent, an area stretching from Afghanistan all the way to Burma
(Myanmar) and Sri Lanka. The Vedas are not the discovery of a single
individualthere is no founder or author.

This vedic knowledge, developed over thousands of years, was organized by the
sage Vyasa into four parts or books: Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and
Atharva Veda.

The Vedas encompass many philosophical concepts and ideologies.

Six philosophies of India are directly associated with the Vedas and acknowledge
the Vedas as their authority.*
Yoga
Samkhya
Vedanta
Mimamsa
Nyaya
Vaisheshika

Authors documenting the knowledge contained in the six vedic philosophies

never claim that these philosophies were invented or discovered by them. These
philosophies have no founders.

All six vedic philosophies have been organized into compact books containing
sutras or verses.
o Yoga Sutra has 195 sutras.
o Samkhya Karika has 70 verses.

B. The non-vedic philosophies

These schools attribute their knowledge to a specific individual or individuals and

do not acknowledge the Vedas as their source, although vedic knowledge is found
in them.
Buddhism
Jainism
Charvaka
Many others

_______________________________
*For more on the vedic philosophies (plus Buddhism), see Seven Systems of Indian
Philosophy, by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait.
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2. Why Samkhya Philosophy Is Distinctive

A. Samkhya enumerates the building blocks or elements that make up our creation.

Samkhya is the first evolution of philosophical thought to create a sequence of

philosophical presentation. It enumerates the distinct principles or building blocks
that constitute our world. Philosophy before that was abstract and floating, and it
lacked consistency.

The 25 tattvas (elements that make up our universe)

o The five gross elements: earth, water, fire, air, space
o The corresponding five subtle elements or essences: smell, taste, form, touch,
sound
o The five cognitive senses: smelling, tasting, seeing, touching, hearing
o The five active senses: grasping (hands), locomotion (feet), speech,
elimination, procreation
o Mind, ego, and buddhi ((intellect)
o Prakritithe primordial cause of the material world. From Prakriti evolve all
the other elements except Purusha.
o Purushapure consciousness

These 25 principles or elementsPurusha, Prakriti, and the 23 elements of nature

that evolve from Prakritiencompass the knower, the known, and the process of
knowing.

B. Samkhyas model of reality is dualistic.

Samkhya is a dualistic philosophy, meaning that there is a clear distinction

between matter and consciousnesschanging and unchanging.

There is also a clear distinction between right and wrong, birth and death, and
bondage and liberation. Until Samkhya, all this was muddy.

Because Samkhya is clear, concrete, and specific, it is the foundation for practical
systems of health and wellbeing, mainly Yoga and Ayurveda.

Before Samkhya, there was a tendency toward non-dual thinking, which says that
everything is just one pure consciousness and that all we experience in the
material world, including our own mind, body, pain, and pleasure, is an illusion.

According to Samkhya, there are two basic components of reality: Prakriti and
Purusha.
o Prakriti is the primordial cause of the natural world and cause of experiences
pertaining to matter and energy. It is distinct from consciousness. From it
evolves everything we perceive in our everyday life, and it is the source of our
own pleasure, pain, anger, love, and hatred. Prakriti is unmanifest,
unchanged, and the source all that is changing and short lived.
o Purusha is the observer, seer, pure witness, pure consciousness. It is the
unchanging witness of Prakriti and all that evolves from Prakriti. Purusha is
the only independent category.
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3. The Goal of Samkhya PhilosophyFreedom from Pain and Suffering

A. The problem of removing pain and suffering

If the pain in our body or mind is so deep that we cant get rid of it, then we want
to get rid of our body or mind. However, we dont know how to remove our body
and mind and be just pure consciousness, because body, mind, and consciousness
are all intermingled.

Therefore, do not impose the thought on yourself that you are just pure
consciousness and that pain and pleasure are an illusion. Life means integration of
all these thingssome desirable and some undesirable.

Samkhya acknowledges our actual experience of painanger, fear, physical pain,

pain of loss, and other painand gives us a framework for removing it. This is
the goal of Samkhya. Yoga and Ayurveda are based on this.

B. The state free from pain and suffering

When you are free from pain and suffering, Samkhya calls this kaivalya, from the
word kevala, meaning you have nothing other than your Self.
o There is no desire to achieve anything or to avoid losing anything.
o You are fully established and content in your Selfpure being.
o Your body and mind are no longer a burden.
o Relationships are no longer a source of pain.
o You are not bothered by loss and gain, honor and insult, youth and old age.

Kevala is the experience of pure being, and kaivalya is the state in which we
experience the essence of pure being.

4. Removing Pain: The Doctrine of Cause and Effect and the Techniques of
Yoga and Ayurveda
A. The doctrine of cause and effectthe basis for removing the cause of pain and
suffering

There was a time and process by which undesirable, painful elements walked into
our body, mind, and consciousness, and there is a way to reverse the process.

The process of reversing pain is based on Samkhyas doctrine of cause and effect,
or in Sanskrit, karya-karana-vada.
o Karya effect
o Karana cause
o Vada doctrine

Every result is unfailingly connected to its cause. There cannot be an effect

without a cause. This is the most valuable discovery of Samkhya philosophy.

It is possible to go backward and remove the cause, thereby removing the effect.
Remove the cause of sorrow and you remove sorrow. Removing the cause in

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order to have permanent freedom from pain is the goal of Samkhya. When you
are free from pain, you experience the essence of pure beingkaivalya.
B. Ayurveda and Yogathe techniques for removing the cause of pain and suffering

In Ayurveda, the treatment comes from outside us. For example, taking triphala
removes the cause of constipation.

In Yoga, the remedy to act on the cause is from inside us.

Using Ayurveda and Yoga together is the best way to overcome pain. Ayurveda is
especially needed in treating illness when conscious access to our body is
blocked, and therefore our willpower and determination cannot cure the problem.

C. An understanding of Samkhya is important for Yoga practitioners because it expands

our expectations of Yoga practice.

We will look for the proper applications of Yoga practices and stretch our
imagination beyond being content with just feeling good momentarily.

The realization that Yoga can help us overcome all forms of suffering will inspire
us to look into the deeper aspects of Yoga.

5. The Main Features of Samkhya Philosophy

A. There are three types of pain and suffering. Real freedom is attaining freedom from
these.

Physical
o Five things help to prevent and overcome physical pain and suffering: proper
diet, proper exercise, balanced conduct / behavior, going to bed on time, and
waking up on time.
o If some illness has already occurred, seek help from doctors and medicines,
along with lifestyle changes.
o Ayurveda is an important tool here.

Psychological / emotional
o This type of suffering needs help from both outside and insidebody and
mind.
o From inside, changing your attitude toward yourselftrusting and believing
in yourselfcreates psychological support. This, combined with external
measures to alleviate physical suffering, helps to overcome sorrow and grief.
o The first four limbs of Yoga address mental / emotional suffering.

Spiritual
o To overcome spiritual pain and suffering, dive deep into yourself and know
your pure being. Work toward removing all non-essentialsall that which is
not the Self.
o The way to do this is covered by the last four limbs of Yogathe meditative
aspectswhich are the purest form of Yoga and are all internal. These are
pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.
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All of this is a complete treatment, with Samkhya philosophy as the foundation.

B. We are a blend of pure consciousness and the material world, right and wrong, vice
and virtue, mortal and immortal.

Pure consciousness is something to aspire to. There is no need to condemn the

part of us that is not pure consciousness. Its better to establish a good relationship
with it.

C. Everything in this universe is for overcoming the three types of pain and experiencing
our pure being.

The creation is not an accident and life is not a punishment.

Life gives us the opportunity and tools to:

o Embrace and enjoy experiences and understand how valuable or useless they
are, or
o Come to the understanding that experiences are the same thing again and
again and be through with them (the path of renunciation)
(Our choice depends on which of these paths is most compatible with our
individual nature.)

The goal is a life that is free from pain and sorrowa life that is not dependent on
anything or anyone.

D. Live in the world in an integrated fashion whereby Purusha (Shiva) and Prakriti
(Shakti) walk together and help each other toward the goal.

Purusha cannnot move, but sees, and Prakriti cannot see, but moves.

Thus, we work with all aspects of ourselvesconsciousness, body, breath, and

mindto achieve the goal.

Study Questions
1. What are the Vedas? Do they have a founder?
2. Who organized the Vedas into four books, and what are the names of these books?
3. What is the main text of Samkhya?
4. What are the two most distinctive aspects of Samkhya philosophy?
5. What are the tattvas? Which 23 evolve from Prakriti?
6. Define Purusha and Prakriti.
7. Explain the difference between dualistic and non-dualistic philosophies.
8. What is the goal of Samkhya philosophy?
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9. What is kaivalya?
10. What is karya-karana-vada? Why is it important to Yoga and Ayurveda?
11. How do Ayurveda and Yoga work together?
12. Why is an understanding of Samkhya important for Yoga practitioners?
13. What are the three types of pain and suffering, and what is needed to overcome each?
14. How should we regard the part of ourselves that is not pure consciousness?
15. What is the purpose for which this world was created?
16. What aspects of ourselves do we work with to achieve our goal?

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Samkhya Philosophy: Foundation for Yoga and Aurveda

Chapter 2: SamkhyaThe Guiding Force of Yoga
Outline
1. Two Sets of Creation
Divine (created by nature)
Self-created (created by us)
2. The Impairment of Buddhi (Conscience) and the Beginning of Sorrow
The 28 damages resulting from damage to buddhi
The importance of practicing ahimsanot harming our conscience
Why we act against our conscience
3. Yoga: The Way to Eliminate the Cause of Self-Inflicted Misery and Attain Freedom
Here and Now
Steps to cultivating a clear, calm, and tranquil mind and exploring the deepest
aspects of our being

Lecture Notes
1. Two Sets of Creation

Divine (created by nature)

o Ishvara sarga: Ishvara means God, a combination of Purusha and Prakriti. Sarga
means creation. Ishvara sarga is also known as bhautika sarga, the material
creation.
o Ishvara is the higher reality that provides guidance and structure to this creation.

Self-created (created by us)

o Buddhi sarga: Buddhi is the field of intelligence within us that has the capacity to
know itself and everything else. Buddhi sargaalso known as pratyaya sargais
the world created by our buddhi.

The purpose of the divine creation is to benefit individual souls by providing us with
everything we need to free ourselves from pain and suffering and know our essential
nature. The foremost tool given us to do this is the mind.

Among the elements we work with is our capacity for love and compassion, hatred,
jealousy, etc., and along with that, our free will or conscience (buddhi), the biggest
faculty in us.

Using these tools and elements, we create our own world. When our carelessness or
addictions work against our conscience, they force us to create a unique, private, ugly
world and live there, suffering from self-inflicted misery and sorrow.

So we live simultaneously in two parallel universes, one created by the higher reality
and one created by us. The one we create can be healthy or quite damaging.
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2. The Impairment of Buddhi (Conscience) and the Beginning of Sorrow

When we do good things in our life, following our conscience (buddhi), we create
a healthy reality that helps us attain freedom from other realities we may have
created. Buddhas life is an example.

When we act against buddhi, it becomes damaged, and from this, 28 other
damages follow:
o 1-11: Damage to the mind and ten senses.

When we work against our conscience, we plant a seed for cultivating a

disturbed, distracted, and stupefied mind. We begin to lack self-respect
and self-trust; we begin to fear ourselves, and project the cause of fear
onto others. Thus begins self-deception.

Disorientation of the ten senses follows damage to the mind. Our power of
discernment has been compromised. Our damaged buddhi blocks what we
see and hear, and our speech and action toward others are unconsciously
affected.

o 12-19 : Eight powers (siddhis) unique to humans are damaged when the
conscience, mind, and senses are damaged. These eight powers are:
12) Uhaintuition, knowing beyond sensory knowledge
13) Shabdacomprehending the intention in spoken language and in
gestures
14) Adhyayanastudying, contemplating, and elaborating on the meaning
of communications
15-17) The desire, will, and ability to overcome the three-fold pain,
including the capacity to make plans to overcome it.
18) Danathe ability to give, share, pass on, and expand; the desire to
see your mission expand beyond your own life; the courage to sacrifice
smaller personal interests for a higher cause that benefits others.
19) Suhrit prapti or good friend achievementthe ability to meet and
retain good friends and to respect and value the virtue of the heart of
others; the ability to demolish the walls of time and space to connect with
others.
o 20-28: Nine tushticategories of contentmentare damaged.
Contentment is the ground for happiness, as stated in Yoga Sutra, chapter
2, sutra 42. It is the antidote to a disturbed, distracted, and stupefied mind.
The nine types of contentment are described in Samkhya Karika, verse 50.
They include contentment relating to nature, means, time, and destiny.

Yoga gives us a way to stop harming ourselves. Practice ahimsadont harm

your conscience and create inner conflict. This is why the first things taught in
Yoga are the yamas and niyamas.

Why do we inflict misery on ourselves? Because of deep samskaras and vasanas

(strong grooves or impressions in the unconscious mind). They influence our
buddhi, and thus we often act against our own conscience.
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3. Yoga: The Way to Eliminate the Cause of Self-Inflicted Misery and Attain
Freedom Here and Now

The first step is to live a balanced life, so that the needs of body and mind are
balanced.

Then put more and more time into cultivating a clear, calm, and tranquil mind.

Learn the art of turning the mind inward.

Then train the mind to see what is inside and have the courage to acknowledge
what it sees inside.

Finally, train your mind to distinguish healthy from unhealthy, right from wrong,
auspicious from inauspicious, your pure being from what is not pure being.
o This process is called samyama, the last three limbs of yoga, as described in
Yoga Sutra, chapter 3.
Concentration (dharana)
Meditation (dhyana)
Samadhi
o Samyama is a continuous process of moving inward and discovering deeper
and deeper aspects of yourself.
o It allows you to discover your true Self, see the Self and the non-Self side by
side, identify yourself with the pure Self, and skillfully use all aspects of
yourself to achieve the highest goal of lifebhoga and apavargathe
experience of fulfillment and ultimate freedom.

Study Questions
1. What are the two sets of creation and how do they differ?
2. What are the 28 damages? Damage to what important faculty is their cause?
3. Why is ahimsa important?
4. What causes us to go against our conscience?
5. What is a five step plan for achieving the goal of Yoga?
6. What are the components of samyama?

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