Connection of the First and the Second Principle of Yoga

The first principle is the principle of kindness. The second principle is the principle of getting rid of your animal imprints and karma. If you don’t use both of these principles, it is really hard to reach any goal. These two principles are like a test. You can use it to test any doctrine, which is called yoga. If the doctrine sorts well with two principles – it is yoga. If not then you can’t call it yoga. It is pretty easy at first sight, but the further you go the more questions you have. The supreme logic gives a lot of open questions to you.

For example: “Does Absolute, which created our world, really exist?” From the logic point of view of, the answer is following: “Yes, Absolute exists only for people who believe in its existence.” It sounds illogically, because the concept of Absolute comes from the supreme logic. The same happens with the first and the second Principles of yoga – they may contradict each other. The first principle says –do no harm. The second principle says - don’t waste your time.

As example, the second principle recommends: “If you want to be rich, don’t think long. Do you see that bank in front of you? Rob this bank and you don’t need to work for the next 20 years”.

Applying both principles at the same time

The second principle is about logic and the statement above sounds really logically: “Why should I work like a crazy, if I can do it in a such an easy way?” But at the same time the first principle tells you: “Don’t do it! If you steel, you will make somebody to suffer.” Therefore, often you see as these two principles play against each other, and your life is a narrow path between these two principles. On the one hand, there is the most effective way to reach your goal but at the same time this way can make somebody to suffer. So from the point of view of the first principle that way is not the most effective. It is a tricky game. One more thing that you should always remember and use for your life and for yoga: you must implement both principles simultaneously.” Once again. Do you need money? Rob a man. You have a goal – to get money, so robbery is a shortcut. But this way the reaching of the goal contradicts the first principle of yoga, so forget about it. But, the other way – working for 40 years in a low-paid job and dreaming to get money one day also is not suitable. Why should you work in low-paid job, if well-paid job exits? So, you should use your mind and get as well-paid job as you can. And also remember after you get your dream job, the next day start looking for a new job. It helps you to keep abreast of the labor market situation and know your real market price.

Short way

If you did so, you follow the second principle of yoga; it helps you always to walk a short way. But on the other hand, if you have a commitment to your employer - to work for that business for a certain period of time and you start looking for another job, and intend to break the commitment – it is a violation of the first principle. Remember, only when both of these principles work together you can find your Dharma – the way of your life. You have your Karma – it likes a wide corridor and you can walk there in different ways: from wall to wall, walk zigzagging, wobble – but the best way to go is to go straight. It means apply logic and the supreme logic into your life. In other words, if you set a goal – reach it, but always stick to the first principle of yoga (principle of kindness). You have a way of your life, your own Karma, maybe in your previous life you harmed yogis, and as a result you were born were you are. Maybe you could be a millionaire and enjoy your life, but no… you are where you are. The law of Karma is the law of cause and consequences. Karma partly defines your life conditions, especially in the beginning of your life. But the rest of life is free and you can make your own choice what to do. Now you can drink beer or watch TV but you have made your choice to read this material. Why are you reading this instead of drink beer or a glass of wine with your friends? May be you broke the second principle of logic, may be you were going to meet your friends but switch to reading this material? If it so, you need to correct your way as soon as possible.

Habit

Ordinary people usually wake up in holiday and start thinking what to do. They have a great mix of different ideas in their minds: meet with friends, start doing exercises, watch TV, read a book, do nothing… And as a rule a man choose to do what they used to do in the past. Their choices don’t change and have accustomed pattern: walk the same way to work, order the same dishes in restaurants, make the same mistakes, say the same words… People do it day by day. No logic – just a habit. And one day they start feeling bad. They find their life boring and useless. And one evening when they go out to the usual bar, they suddenly realize: “If I go there, I will get the same things as I did many times before. And it doesn’t make my life better.” As soon as a person decides to change the life, there is a chance for it.
For instance, you get information about yoga. And you are here and reading this material. Everything happens according to a plan, nothing happens by a chance. What yoga invites us to do? We should always remember about 2 main principles: On the one hand, principle of kindness - do the least possible harm. On the other hand, principle of logic – if you set a goal, take a shortcut. Just as example: if you can’t go without stepping on a bug, step on it. But if you have a choice to step on 5 or 20 bugs – chose 5, but keep going.