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The steps towards world peace

A discourse on the integrated practice of the eight limbs of yoga.

"The steps are not separate. They are one. They are the limbs of one body."

"They are not steps like a staircase... They are like the petals of a flower. They open together."

The speaker clarifies the path of yoga practice, explaining that the eight limbs—from Yama to Samādhi—are not sequential steps but an integrated system that develops simultaneously. Using metaphors of a body's limbs and a flower's petals, the teaching emphasizes that all aspects of practice, from ethical vows to meditation, must be cultivated together as a unified whole in one's life.

Recording location: India, Ahmedabad, International Conference on World Peace, Ahmedabad/India

The question is, which steps should we practice? The answer is: all of them. The steps are not separate. They are one. They are the limbs of one body. You cannot say, "I will only practice this limb." The body is one. The steps are one. They are the limbs of Yoga. The first limb is Yama. Yama is the great vow. It is the foundation. Without Yama, nothing can be built. The second is Niyama. Niyama is the discipline, the internal observance. Then comes Āsana, the posture. Then Prāṇāyāma, the regulation of the life force. Then Pratyāhāra, the withdrawal of the senses. Then Dhāraṇā, concentration. Then Dhyāna, meditation. Then Samādhi, the state of superconsciousness. But you ask, "Which one should I practice?" You must practice all. They are not steps like a staircase, where you finish one and then go to the next. They are like the petals of a flower. They open together. When you practice Āsana, you are also practicing Prāṇāyāma. When you practice Prāṇāyāma, you are also practicing Pratyāhāra. When the mind is concentrated, you are in Dhāraṇā. When the concentration becomes flow, it is Dhyāna. And when that flow merges into the object, it is Samādhi. So do not think, "First I will perfect Yama, then I will go to Niyama." No. You practice Yama as you practice Āsana. You practice Niyama as you practice Prāṇāyāma. They grow together. The seed contains the tree. When you water the seed, the whole tree grows. You do not grow the roots first, then the trunk, then the branches. All grow together from the one seed. Therefore, practice all the steps. Let your practice be integrated. Let your life be the practice. That is the way. --- Recording location: India, Ahmedabad, International Conference on World Peace, Ahmedabad/India

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt, what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

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