_The below are my personal thoughts and interpretation on Yoga Sutra 1:7. As with the rest of this site it is a continuous work in progress._ Sutra 1:7 "The three ways of acquiring valid knowledge are direct perception, inference as the result of observation, and learning from others who are knowledgeable." - Davis, Roy Eugene. The Science of Self-Realization, A Guide to Spiritual Practice in the Kriya Yoga Tradition . CSA Press. Kindle Edition. According to the yoga tradition there are three ways of knowing, or as Davis puts it in his translation "three ways of acquiring valid knowledge". These three are: direct experience, inference (logic extrapolation or reason), and learning from someone who knows (acquiring from a valid source). Traditionally this last one would be learning from the Vedic scriptures. Edwin Bryant's translation for the third way is "verbal testimony", probably due to the fact that many older traditions of passing knowledge along involved verbal transmission and memorization. In context these ways of acquiring knowledge are mentioned in relation to the fluctuations in the mind which separate us from our inner nature. The processes which occur when valid knowledge is acquired is the first type of mind fluctuation which is listed in Sutra 1:6 [[YP - Yoga Sutras#^73aac7]]. These fluctuations can be beneficial or detrimental, and in the context of the Sutras this means they can move us toward the liberation of abiding in our true self or toward further identifying with ego and the material world. Some other systems have more than three ways in which knowledge is acquired, but I find that longer lists seem to have items that fall under the three above. ##### Direct Perception Experience is our first way of knowing, and as far as "valid" knowledge goes experience is valid to us. But how do we know our experience is real and not merely a construction of the mind (imagination)? Entire libraries and schools of philosophy are devoted to that question. External validation is a way to ensure we aren't just making things up, though when it comes to the "spiritual" side of life this can be difficult since we are talking about internal experiences and not experiences of interacting with the outside world that can be easily verified by others or by equipment which can record data. So how do we know when we have an internal experience, something our five senses (taste, touch, sound, sight, and smell) are not involved, that it is not just a dream or fantasy? We say we just know. As far as valid knowledge of the physical world (or universe) we have to seek external validation from other witnesses (people or potentially equipment that can record observations). Even here we could run into disagreement with others based on differing interpretations. ##### Inference Inference is using our previous experience and perceptions to reach a conclusion. This is heavily influenced by our existing bank of knowledge and experience, as well as things we've accepted as true that we've been told by others but of which we don't have direct experience. We constantly infer things about the new situations we find ourselves in based on previous experience. If we have any delusions about ourselves or the world this will cause our reasoning to be flawed. Since we are human and prone to error and biases we can hardly expect our inferences to be perfect . The more complex the situation or train of logic, the more likely there will be a flaw within. ##### Learning From Others or External Sources The third way to learn, and arguably how we gain most of our knowledge, is through external sources. Historically in the yogic tradition this would mean learning from the sages of old through repeated reading of sacred texts like the Vedas. When we think of current times we see that we are constantly bombarded with information from our surroundings. In fact most of our modern technology is centered on information, with the vast majority of it being either for entertainment or trying to convince us of something (or solidify certain already held beliefs). If we consume a regular diet of a particular stream of information we may not even realize how much we have been effected. We can see the wisdom in being careful what we let into our mind, much as it's wise to be careful what we let into our body. It's useful to examine the information being presented to us as well as our conclusions. If you are a yogi or yogini you may also wish to hold experiences, inferences, and external testimony up to the Yamas and Niyamas to judge whether they promote harm in some fashion or promote more virtuous ideas or concepts. --- Created on: 2023-09-19 [[Home]]