序言
本译文由人工智能辅助工具生成，可能存在不准确之处。如需查阅权威文本，请参考英文原文。
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中文
自有史以来，各种非凡的现象便被记录为发生在人类身上。即便是在现代科学的全面照耀之下生活的社会中，现代也不乏见证者来证实此类事件的真实存在。大量此类证据由于出自无知、迷信或欺诈之人之口而不可靠。在许多情形中，所谓的神迹不过是对某些事物的仿效。但它们仿效的是什么呢？不加适当调查便将任何事物抛诸脑后，并非坦诚而科学的心灵的标志。那些肤浅的科学家，无力解释各种非凡的心理现象，便竭力无视其存在本身。因此，他们比那些认为其祈祷得到云端之上某个或某些存在的回应的人，或者比那些相信其请愿能够使此类存在改变宇宙运行轨道的人，更应受到谴责。后者至少有无知的借口，或者至少有一种有缺陷的教育体系的借口——那种教育培养了他们对此类存在的依赖，而这种依赖已成为其退化本性的一部分。前者则没有这样的借口。
数千年来，此类现象已经被研究、探讨和归纳，人类宗教禀赋的整个领域已被分析，其实践成果便是胜王瑜伽（Raja-Yoga）这门科学。胜王瑜伽并不像某些现代科学家那样以不可宽恕的方式否认难以解释的事实的存在；另一方面，它以温和而明确的语气告诉那些迷信者：神迹、对祈祷的回应以及信仰的力量，尽管作为事实是真实的，却无法通过将其归因于云端之上某个或某些存在的主动性这一迷信的解释而得到理解。它宣告，每个人不过是那无限的知识与力量的大洋的一条管道，而那大洋就在人类背后。它教导，欲望与需求在人之内，供给的力量也在人之内；无论何时何地一种欲望、一种需求、一个祈祷得到满足，那供给皆来自这无限的宝藏，而非来自任何超自然的存在。超自然存在的观念或许能够在一定程度上唤起人类行动的力量，但它也带来了灵性的衰退。它带来依赖；它带来恐惧；它带来迷信。它退化为一种关于人类自然软弱的可怖信仰。瑜伽士说，没有什么是超自然的，但在自然中存在粗糙的显现与微细的显现。微细的是因，粗糙的是果。粗糙的可以被感官轻易感知，微细的则不然。修习胜王瑜伽将引向对更微细感知的获得。
印度正统哲学的所有体系都以一个目标为指向，即通过臻于完美而实现灵魂的解脱（Moksha）。其方法是瑜伽。"瑜伽"这个词涵盖了广阔的领域，但数论（Sankhya）和吠檀多（Vedanta）两个学派都以某种形式指向瑜伽。
本书的主题是被称为胜王瑜伽的那种瑜伽形式。帕坦伽利（Patanjali）的格言集是胜王瑜伽的最高权威，构成其教科书。其他哲学家虽然在某些哲学观点上偶尔与帕坦伽利有所不同，但一般而言，对他的修行方法都给予了明确的赞同。本书的第一部分包含了本书作者在纽约向各班级所作的数次讲演。第二部分是对帕坦伽利的格言（经，Sutras）的一种较为自由的翻译，附有随文注释。书中已尽力回避专业术语，保持自由流畅的对话风格。在第一部分，为那些希望修行的学生提供了一些简单而具体的指导，但所有这些人均被特别而诚恳地提醒：除少数例外，瑜伽只能通过与导师（Guru）的直接接触才能安全地习得。若这些对话能够成功地唤起对这一主题进一步了解的渴望，导师自会出现。
帕坦伽利的体系建立在数论体系的基础之上，两者的差异极少。最重要的两点差异是：第一，帕坦伽利承认一位作为初始导师的人格神（自在天，Ishvara），而数论所承认的唯一的神是一个近乎完美的存在，暂时负责一个创世周期。第二，瑜伽士认为心（Chitta）与灵魂即神我（Purusha）同样无处不在，而数论则不持此见。
每个灵魂都潜在地是神圣的。
目标是通过控制外在与内在的自然，来彰显内在的神性。
无论是通过工作、礼拜、精神控制还是哲学——通过其中一种、多种或所有这些——并获得解脱。
这便是宗教的全部。教条、教义、仪式、书籍、寺庙或各种形式，都不过是次要的细节。
English
Since the dawn of history, various extraordinary phenomena have been recorded as happening amongst human beings. Witnesses are not wanting in modern times to attest to the fact of such events, even in societies living under the full blaze of modern science. The vast mass of such evidence is unreliable, as coming from ignorant, superstitious, or fraudulent persons. In many instances the so - called miracles are imitations. But what do they imitate? It is not the sign of a candid and scientific mind to throw overboard anything without proper investigation. Surface scientists, unable to explain the various extraordinary mental phenomena, strive to ignore their very existence. They are, therefore, more culpable than those who think that their prayers are answered by a being, or beings, above the clouds, or than those who believe that their petitions will make such beings change the course of the universe. The latter have the excuse of ignorance, or at least of a defective system of education, which has taught them dependence upon such beings, a dependence which has become a part of their degenerate nature. The former have no such excuse.
For thousands of years such phenomena have been studied, investigated, and generalised, the whole ground of the religious faculties of man has been analysed, and the practical result is the science of Raja-Yoga. Raja-Yoga does not, after the unpardonable manner of some modern scientists, deny the existence of facts which are difficult to explain; on the other hand, it gently yet in no uncertain terms tells the superstitious that miracles, and answers to prayers, and powers of faith, though true as facts, are not rendered comprehensible through the superstitious explanation of attributing them to the agency of a being, or beings, above the clouds. It declares that each man is only a conduit for the infinite ocean of knowledge and power that lies behind mankind. It teaches that desires and wants are in man, that the power of supply is also in man; and that wherever and whenever a desire, a want, a prayer has been fulfilled, it was out of this infinite magazine that the supply came, and not from any supernatural being. The idea of supernatural beings may rouse to a certain extent the power of action in man, but it also brings spiritual decay. It brings dependence; it brings fear; it brings superstition. It degenerates into a horrible belief in the natural weakness of man. There is no supernatural, says the Yogi, but there are in nature gross manifestations and subtle manifestations. The subtle are the causes, the gross the effects. The gross can be easily perceived by the senses; not so the subtle. The practice of Raja - yoga will lead to the acquisition of the more subtle perceptions.
All the orthodox systems of India philosophy have one goal in view, the liberation of the soul through perfection. The method is by Yoga. The word Yoga covers an immense ground, but both the Sankhya and the Vedanta Schools point to Yoga in some form or other.
The subject of the present book is that form of Yoga known as Raja-Yoga. The aphorisms of Patanjali are the highest authority on Raja-Yoga, and form its textbook. The other philosophers, though occasionally differing from Patanjali in some philosophical points, have, as a rule, acceded to his method of practice a decided consent. The first part of this book comprises several lectures to classes delivered by the present writer in New York. The second part is a rather free translation of the aphorisms (Sutras) of Patanjali, with a running commentary. Effort has been made to avoid technicalities as far as possible, and to keep to the free and easy style of conversation. In the first part some simple and specific directions are given for the student who want to practise, but all such are especially and earnestly reminded that, with few exceptions, Yoga can only be safely learnt by direct contact with a teacher. If these conversations succeed in awakening a desire for further information on the subject, the teacher will not be wanting.
The system of Patanjali is based upon the system of the Sankhyas, the points of difference being very few. The two most important differences are, first, that Patanjali admits a Personal God in the form of a first teacher, while the only God the Sankhyas admit is a nearly perfected being, temporarily in charge of a cycle of creation. Second, the Yogis hold the mind to be equally all - pervading with the soul, or Purusha, and the Sankhyas do not.
Each soul is potentially divine.
The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal.
Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy — by one, or more, or all of these — and be free.
This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。