o engage in meditation that seeks that unity. The state of such unity is known as samadhi, which is the bliss that is the aim of mystical experience.
The idea that man starts fresh in life and determines his life subject to certain limitations placed on him by his cultural and physical environment is in Yoga associated with the Samkhya system, in which the form that consciousness of the world takes is decisive for the formulation of personality and life experience. In this regard, Yogananda refers to the idea that "precise classifications are made, in the Sankya and Yoga systems, of the various links in normal mental modifications and of the characteristic functions of buddhi (discriminative intellect), ahankara (egoistic principle), and manas (mind or sense-consciousness) (Yogananda, 1981, p. 50). Elsewhere, Yogananda describes various sensory stimuli to which human beings react in terms of vibrations, which are regulated themselves by prana or life forces. To the degree man remains psychologically bound by these forces in their physical manifestation, he is dissociated from the absolute unity of the universe. To the degree he can free himself, he moves toward unity with the ultimate.
It may seem ironic, in view of the advocacy of spirituality that transcends vulgar reality, that Yoga could concern itself particularly with human motivation. However, Yogananda asserts that Yogic practice is not merely negative. Rather, the ethical motivation of Yoga appears to lie in the negation of self, particularly at the expense of others, which can be manifest in the relationship of self to others. This is consistent with the negation of the world, to the degree the self can be identified with the imperfect unity with the spirit. It is on this basis that Koller describes ahimsa, or the practice of self-restraint, including sexual self-gratification at the expense of others in particular but more generally sexual activity that deplet...