Spiritual Texts

                             


Why care about interpretations of spiritual texts?

I have learnt, in my long spiritual odyssey, that my interpretation of something can, and does, change, as I evolve. And I expect this evolving and changing, to continue. I am quite sure that this is so for all of us. 

I have delved quite deeply into, on the yogic level, mainly Patanjali's Sutras, and Bhagavad Gita, two ancient treatises on differing aspects, or approaches, of the yoga journey and Path. And with Ancient Maori Lore, even more treatises governing other approaches to deep spirituality. It is much easier, on an intellectual level to study interpretations of ancient teachings. The problem being that we are then approaching our understandings on what others have decided what the teachings mean. It also is not the best way to absorb what the deeper meanings of the teachings, really are.

I shall give an example:

Four interpretations of Patanjali

I first studied Patanjali, as a young swami, in an Ashram. Looking back, the organisation (Satyananda) had just released new copies of Satyananda's interpretations of this book.  Satyananda claimed to be a sanskrit scholar, and a guru. So of course we would hold dear anything that he said. It would be Correct Knowledge. It was like one of our bibles. How blessed were we.  The teacher of the ashram where I lived, again looking back, had obviously just started reading the book. One night he angrily started to read it to us. Angrily, because we (apparently) should have inherently known all of this. (Cults are indeed weird). Satyananda's version really emphasised that we are starting from a rather ignorant understanding of the meditation journey. Which of course, we were. We all do. I found this version to be a bit of a trial though, as it was so intellectual. 

Rather stupidly, I gave this same teacher a copy of Alistair Crowley's version, quite some years later. More spiritual discourse followed which was inspired by Crowley's interpretations. I never listened to them, nor read the book. Crowley was a Black Magician. The so-called story was that he had written this book before he went to The Dark Side. I might add that at the time, I had no idea of the awfulness of Crowley. I was rather stupidly naive.

I was required to take students through Satchidananda's version, at a teacher training course in Bali. I had met this guru many years prior. He had a beautiful smile, just quietly jiggled his body a bit, didn't talk, but did silent laughing. (sound familiar?) He seemed High (high on the spirit, of course). After a few days of teaching from his book, I put it down, and told the students that I was sorry to tell them that the book was rubbish, and that he sounded stoned with the silly way that he was explaining things. Honestly, I was aghast at what I was reading, and it just didn't make sense. This version was being taught a lot in Bali as part of yoga teacher training courses. I hope no-one reading this thought that this version had the best teachings.

I am indeed chuckling as I write all of this. We are all so trusting. The Patanjali version which I wish that I had bought, was a deeply spiritual version. It started from the premise that we are deeply spiritual. It was so inspiring. This was written by someone with deep insight, I wish also that I could remember his name. 

So, just here, four interpretations of Patanjali's Sutras that I can quickly bring to mind.

But there are other ways

By contrast, I often went to a Bhagavad Gita class by Vasudeva Venketiah. I have met several gurus in my time, but Vasudeva was a family man, the most humble and deeply spiritual person whom I have ever known. We would sit, with our Gita book, and as soon as Vasudeva started chanting it, in Sanskrit of course (the olde language of yoga), our eyes would shut. We could not keep them open. And we instantly would enter deep meditation. In this manner, the essence of what is being chanted, it does enter the deeper parts of our being. We absorb it. I truly believe that it was Vasudeva's presence and his correct pronunciation of Sanskrit, that produced these effects.

I also spent ten years learning Maori spiritual Lore. We would do a bit of learning from the Ancient Maori language, then the English translation from the Tohunga ( he was an extremely learned person, a spiritual leader) who had revealed these ancient teachings back into his culture. So, the English translations of the meanings were in fact, correct. But, and this is so important. We were encouraged to have our own understandings, as well. I would add that the Olde language of the Maori is like Sanskrit: it goes deep into one's being, and is extremely healing and uplifting.

Vasudeva and the Tohunga whom I mentioned, have both passed over. But what each taught touched the heart and Soul, of so many. This, I feel, is the best way to learn.