Swami Vivekananda: The Complete Yoga Classes 1895-96 NYC Jnana Yoga - Class #1: “The First Step Towards Jnana” by Swami Vivekananda
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Oct 11, 2021 
Swami Vivekananda, an influential Indian Hindu monk and philosopher, offers a profound introduction to Jnana Yoga, a path to self-knowledge and liberation. He discusses the origins of human suffering, emphasizing the need to transcend personal desires and ignorance. The conversation dives into the philosophical connections between existence and knowledge, exploring how our experiences shape our identity. Highlighting the power of thought, Vivekananda advocates for self-awareness and detachment from materialism as essential steps towards enlightenment.
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Jnana Yoga's Goal
- Jnana Yoga aims for freedom from imperfections and life's misery caused by our own bondage to nature's laws.
- Misery arises from unfulfilled desires, and we are the source of those desires, thus responsible for our suffering.
Reincarnation and Eternal Existence
- Reincarnation explains our inherent tendencies and experiences, suggesting we've always existed as souls, not created from nothing.
- If we began, we must end; since we exist, we must have always existed, carrying past experiences.
Instinct vs. Experience
- Vivekananda uses the example of light passing through glass to illustrate the flawed logic of explaining innate tendencies with instinct.
- He argues against instinct, saying there's no knowledge without experience; habit, born from experience, shapes our nature.