The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Charles Johnston)
Christian Mysticism Meets Patanjali
[My 4-star Amazon review of “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: The Book of the Spiritual Man†by Charles Johnston.]
From my perspective, there is a lot to like about this book. First off, the Kindle version is available for free, so there is no financial risk in checking it out. (Note: even if you don’t have a Kindle reader, you can download free PC software from Amazon, and read it on your computer.) Secondly, because I have an affinity for Christian mysticism, I particularly vibe with Theosophist author Charles Johnston’s (1867-1931) Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941)- like commentary on the Yoga Sutras. In other words, just as Cliff Hartranft puts a pop-Buddhist spin on Patanjali (see my two-star review of his “The Yoga Sutra of Patanjaliâ€), Johnston opts for a Christianized approach. And unlike Hartranft, he provides commentary in addition to his translation.
I initially read this book forty-plus years ago, but I didn’t appreciate it then, because I was into self-willed meditation rather than obedience to (or communion with) the Divine Will, which is what Johnston emphasizes.
As I re-read it, I copied down some of Johnston’s writing I found particularly to my liking. These samples from the book will make clear his orientation:
“Union, here as always in the Scriptures of India, means union of the individual soul with the Oversoul; of the personal consciousness with the Divine Consciousness, whereby the mortal becomes immortal, and enters the Eternal. Therefore, salvation is, first, freedom from sin and the sorrow which comes from sin, and then a divine and eternal well-being, wherein the soul partakes of the being, the wisdom and glory of God.
“But the power to know and feel is immortal. What is needed is to raise it from psychical to spiritual.
“The right use of the will is the steady effort to stand in the spiritual Deity.â€
“The sorrow and darkness of life come of the erring personal will which sets itself against the Will of the Soul, the one great Life. And sorrow and darkness are inevitable, until the path be found, and the personal will once more made one with the greater Will, wherein it finds rest and power without losing its freedom.  In his Will is our peace. Soul-vision is perfected through obedience.
“It has been well said, that what we most need is the faculty of spiritual attention; and in the same direction of thought it has been eloquently declared that prayer does not consist in our catching God's attention, but rather in our allowing God to hold our attention.
“The reason is this: The threefold power we have been considering, the triad of Attention, Contemplation, Meditation is, so far as we have yet considered it, the focussing of the beam of perceiving consciousness upon some form of manifesting being, with a view of understanding it completely. There is a higher stage, where the beam of consciousness is turned back upon itself, and the individual consciousness enters into, and knows, the All consciousness. This is a being, a being in immortality, rather than a knowing; it is free from mental analysis or mental forms. It is not an activity of the higher mind, even the mind of the spiritual man. It is an activity of the soul.â€
I would like to give this book five stars, but in good conscience I can’t for a few reasons. First off, it’s not true to the original Yoga Sutras. For example, in the second Sutra, Patanjali clearly defines Yoga as “the stilling of the changing states of the mind.†(Edwin F. Bryant’s translation in his “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.â€) But Johnston ignores this definition, and instead opts for, Yoga is “union of the individual soul with the divine Oversoul, of the personal consciousness with Divine Consciousness.†I much prefer Bryant’s definition, but it’s not Patanjali’s. The entire text displays Johnston’s “creative†translation and interpretation of Patanjali – and much of it deviates significantly from the original text.
Secondly, Johnston eschews Sankrit terms, which detracts from his translation and commentary. And thirdly, Johnston fails to adequately explain and consider all the various samadhis that Patanjali identifies. In short, the book is bereft of an esoteric dimension.
If this book were priced as heavily as Hartranft’s skimpy pop Buddhist translation, I’d give it three stars, but because it’s free and and a read I vibe with, I’ll give it four.
[My 4-star Amazon review of “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: The Book of the Spiritual Man†by Charles Johnston.]
From my perspective, there is a lot to like about this book. First off, the Kindle version is available for free, so there is no financial risk in checking it out. (Note: even if you don’t have a Kindle reader, you can download free PC software from Amazon, and read it on your computer.) Secondly, because I have an affinity for Christian mysticism, I particularly vibe with Theosophist author Charles Johnston’s (1867-1931) Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941)- like commentary on the Yoga Sutras. In other words, just as Cliff Hartranft puts a pop-Buddhist spin on Patanjali (see my two-star review of his “The Yoga Sutra of Patanjaliâ€), Johnston opts for a Christianized approach. And unlike Hartranft, he provides commentary in addition to his translation.
I initially read this book forty-plus years ago, but I didn’t appreciate it then, because I was into self-willed meditation rather than obedience to (or communion with) the Divine Will, which is what Johnston emphasizes.
As I re-read it, I copied down some of Johnston’s writing I found particularly to my liking. These samples from the book will make clear his orientation:
“Union, here as always in the Scriptures of India, means union of the individual soul with the Oversoul; of the personal consciousness with the Divine Consciousness, whereby the mortal becomes immortal, and enters the Eternal. Therefore, salvation is, first, freedom from sin and the sorrow which comes from sin, and then a divine and eternal well-being, wherein the soul partakes of the being, the wisdom and glory of God.
“But the power to know and feel is immortal. What is needed is to raise it from psychical to spiritual.
“The right use of the will is the steady effort to stand in the spiritual Deity.â€
“The sorrow and darkness of life come of the erring personal will which sets itself against the Will of the Soul, the one great Life. And sorrow and darkness are inevitable, until the path be found, and the personal will once more made one with the greater Will, wherein it finds rest and power without losing its freedom.  In his Will is our peace. Soul-vision is perfected through obedience.
“It has been well said, that what we most need is the faculty of spiritual attention; and in the same direction of thought it has been eloquently declared that prayer does not consist in our catching God's attention, but rather in our allowing God to hold our attention.
“The reason is this: The threefold power we have been considering, the triad of Attention, Contemplation, Meditation is, so far as we have yet considered it, the focussing of the beam of perceiving consciousness upon some form of manifesting being, with a view of understanding it completely. There is a higher stage, where the beam of consciousness is turned back upon itself, and the individual consciousness enters into, and knows, the All consciousness. This is a being, a being in immortality, rather than a knowing; it is free from mental analysis or mental forms. It is not an activity of the higher mind, even the mind of the spiritual man. It is an activity of the soul.â€
I would like to give this book five stars, but in good conscience I can’t for a few reasons. First off, it’s not true to the original Yoga Sutras. For example, in the second Sutra, Patanjali clearly defines Yoga as “the stilling of the changing states of the mind.†(Edwin F. Bryant’s translation in his “Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.â€) But Johnston ignores this definition, and instead opts for, Yoga is “union of the individual soul with the divine Oversoul, of the personal consciousness with Divine Consciousness.†I much prefer Bryant’s definition, but it’s not Patanjali’s. The entire text displays Johnston’s “creative†translation and interpretation of Patanjali – and much of it deviates significantly from the original text.
Secondly, Johnston eschews Sankrit terms, which detracts from his translation and commentary. And thirdly, Johnston fails to adequately explain and consider all the various samadhis that Patanjali identifies. In short, the book is bereft of an esoteric dimension.
If this book were priced as heavily as Hartranft’s skimpy pop Buddhist translation, I’d give it three stars, but because it’s free and and a read I vibe with, I’ll give it four.
