Discipline and personal growth

For a genuine and lasting growth of one’s life to occur, one must practice a systematic method of self-discipline and self-training. Mere philosophy and intellectual knowledge cannot stand firm in time of need, if one does not know how to use the essentials of that philosophy in one’s daily life. Applying theoretical knowledge and living with it in daily life is called practice. Concepts need to be applied and expressed in activity.

Practice requires discipline. Yet discipline should not be rigidly imposed upon one’s activities, but practitioners should learn to commit themselves and accept discipline as an essential for personal self-growth.

On the way to self-transformation, self-discipline is indispensable to both those who live in the world and those who renounce the world. One needs to follow a self-imposed plan of activities that lead to the accomplishment of the desired goal or goals.

There also needs to be a bridge between one’s inner and outer life. Here again a discipline in contemplation and meditation is the foundation of that bridge.

People should not be tempted by the mere techniques used by others, but should learn instead to cultivate their own and live in accordance with their intrinsic nature and thus be authentic.

As human beings we need to take charge of our lives grounded in a sound philosophy and an effective way of living. Another important step in this process is self analysis and right actions. By right action, it is implied doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done and doing whatever it is in an ethical manner.

By self analysis, one needs to observe the mind without becoming attached to thoughts that may be disturbing or negative. When restless, it is helpful to visualize one’s thoughts disappearing into a large ocean of consciousness. This calms the mind and one learns to see circumstances as they are instead of the way one imagines them to be. Thoughts are like pebbles on the surface of the ocean, they come and disappear.

Self analysis and observation leads to Self knowledge and a successful, meaningful life. The process of transformation and change requires persistence and vigilance. Without regular endeavors in this regard, it is not possible to transcend one’s habit of thinking and acting in order to transform one’s personal way of life to one of success and happiness.

Discipline helps one maintain balance, whereas self-analysis and observation help one to remain watchful. All these steps taken together will lead to right thinking and right action and a happy successful life.

Samyama Practice

Meditation is the process of bringing the attention inward to stillness, inner silence, pure bliss consciousness, the witness state, samadhi. All of these describe aspects of the same thing. As we meditate each day and then go out and be active, our nervous system becomes naturally accustomed to sustaining and radiating inner silence. Our daily life then becomes calmer from the inside. We are less overwhelmed by external events. This is the rise of the first stage of enlightenment, which is inner silence present in our life twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Once we have some inner silence, even just a little, we have the opportunity to begin to operate from that level of infinite potential in us. All that exists is manifested from that, and we, being that, are capable of manifesting from that infinite reservoir of life within us. So, with being anchored in the infinite, we can begin to move toward realizing our transformation to enlightenment.

In meditation we use a mantra, watching our breath or thoughts to systematically allow the mind to dive deep into pure bliss consciousness. The nervous system also goes into silence with the mind, and our metabolism slows down.

Samyama
With samyama, we begin to go the other way. After our meditation, we rest for a minute or two and we transition into samyama.

We begin with an easy state of not thinking, just resting in our silence. If thoughts are coming, we just let them go. In samyama we start by being in silence. This is the starting point.

Now we are ready to begin the practice. Here is how we do it.

With samyama, we are initiating meaning in silence. We do it in a simple, easy, systematic way. First we create an impulse of meaning in silence, and then we let it go in silence.

Let's begin with "Love." It is a good place to start with samyama. In samyama we start with the heart chakra.

In silence pick up just once, the feeling of the word "Love". Don't deliberately make a clear pronunciation, or mental images of this or that scene or situation that represent Love to you. Just have a remembrance of Love, and then go into silence.

Don't contemplate Love or analyze it during samyama. Don't think about it at all. Just come to it once in a subtle way, and then let go into silence.

Having thought "Love" once remain in silence for about fifteen seconds. If any thoughts come, let them go. Don't look at the clock. With a little practice your inner clock will tell you with good enough accuracy when fifteen seconds is up, then pick up on the meaning of "Love" again, and let it go again into your silence for about fifteen seconds again.

That is two repetitions of samyama – twice picking up Love at its subtlest level of thought, and twice letting it go into inner silence.

What is the effect of this? What will happen?

To the extent we are picking up meaning on the border of inner silence (the subtlest level of thought), and then letting go into our silence, the effect will be very powerful. Inner silence is like an amplifier of the subtle thought. It is the only amplifier of thought. It is the source of thought. Usually our thoughts come out of silence stimulated by all that is lodged in our subconscious mind. So many habitual patterns are lodged in our obstructed subconscious mind, and these are what distort and weaken the flow of divine energy coming out from inner silence into our everyday life.

With meditation we are clearing out the obstructions in the subconscious mind and developing a clear awareness of our inner silence.

With samyama we are acting directly within our inner silence to produce an outflow of positive effects that purify our nervous system and surroundings in powerful ways.

During samyama may feel movement of energy moving out from our silence, which can be experienced physically, mentally or emotionally. Or perhaps we won't feel anything until much later in being more loving and compassionate for no obvious external reason.

We are changing from the inside. This is what samyama is – moving intentions from the divine level of silence in us out into external manifestation.

Samyama is what prayer is when it is taken to its deepest level of communion with the divine inside us. Effective prayer is based on the principles of samyama that we are discussing here.

Each thought/meaning we use in samyama is called a "sutra." In Sanskrit, sutra means, "to tie together, or to stitch." The English medical word, "suture" comes from sutra.

In samyama, sutras are bits of meaning we give to unbounded pure bliss consciousness expressing into everyday life. Through samyama we "tie together" our inner and outer life. So, sutras are bits of yoga we can consciously cultivate in ourselves through samyama practice.

In the third chapter, or book, of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras on super-normal powers, many sutras are given for many different things. All this information is not for obtaining instant results or powers. If it were, it would not be doing anyone a favor in terms of gaining enlightenment. All those powers would be a great distraction to yoga if they were so easily obtained.

Fortunately, samyama is a self-regulating practice, which means inner silence (samadhi) is the prerequisite for success in. If there is inner silence, there will also be moral responsibility and conduct (yama and niyama), due to the connectedness of all the limbs of yoga.

Samyama is having inner silence (samadhi) and the ability to pick up a thought (focus/dharana) and let it go inward (meditation/dhyana). Then the results of samyama come out from inner the silence

It should be understood that the experience of any powers we have as a result of samyama are only to be used for the benefit of humanity and not for personal gain. In addition, it is vital not to become attached to the experience and its manifestation.

As with all advanced yoga practices, the real benefits from samyama are to be found in long term daily practice of a particular routine of sutras. If we keep changing sutras around every day or week, and are irregular in our practice, the results will not be realized.

Samyama is a continuation of our meditation practice. First we are going in with meditation, and then we are coming out with samyama.

For this purpose, a balanced series of nine sutras are mentioned. The suggestion is for each one to be practiced for two cycles, two times with about fifteen seconds in silence for each sutra.

The sutras are:
Love, Radiance, Unity, Health, Strength, Abundance, Wisdom, Inner Bliss, Akasha (ether) or Lightness of Air

For example, "Inner Bliss" is a single sutra followed by fifteen seconds of silence. It is for pratyahara, introversion of senses. "Akasha – Lightness of Air" is also a single sutra, followed by fifteen seconds in silence.

The meanings for the sutras can be translated to your own understanding, except for "Akasha, "which is a Sanskrit word meaning of "subtlest ether, inner space.

Samyama is a kundalini technique that brings much energy up through the nervous system. It is not uncommon to experience physical symptoms such as panting (automatic bastrika pranayama) and "hopping" during samyama with the lightness sutra.

 If this happens, make sure you are sitting on a soft surface. There can be various symptoms manifested with the other sutras as well. We are moving the infinite inner silence within us, so the manifestations coming out can be very real and noticeable. Patanjali calls these manifestations "super-normal powers," or "siddhis."

For those who are full with bhakti for enlightenment, samyama repetitions can be increased to four for each sutra, and then ten minutes with a preferred sutra at the end (default is the lightness sutra). This is about twenty minutes of samyama practice. Make sure to take plenty of rest when coming out of your routine of practices, especially when doing samyama.

Lying down for five or ten minutes at the end is good. As always, use self-pacing in your practices. Mental techniques such as meditation and samyama are very powerful, to overdo them is to court uncomfortable energy flows. We each will find our comfortable limit through prudent self-pacing.

Samyama greatly strengthens our presence in the silence of pure bliss consciousness. It promotes the integration of the inner and outer aspects of our nervous system. Samyama stimulates the nervous system to purify and open it to stages of enlightenment, as well as enhancing our inner silence (first stage) in everyday life. Samyama makes the overall power of our desires much stronger. When we want to accomplish something that is in tune with the divine flow, resistance will be much less and obstacles will seem to melt away.

For those who live in the silence of pure bliss consciousness and develop the habit of functioning naturally from that infinite level of life, a constant stream of "small miracles" becomes commonplace.

Do samyama practice after your meditation for a few months and see for yourself. Samyama is more than a sitting practice. It is a way of thinking and doing in our everyday life as we travel on the road to enlightenment.

The teacher is in us.

Patanjali Yoga Sutras Part I

The precise date of Patanjali is unknown, though many scholars assign him to the second century B.C. His Yoga Sutras present a condensed version of the science of yoga, or God union; of uniting soul with the undifferentiated Spirit in a clear and concise way. Generations of scholars have acknowledged the Yoga Sutras as the foremost ancient work on yoga.

The Sanskrit word for Sutras is threads, that which holds something together.

There are 196 Sutras.

In the study of yoga, it is the direct experience that forms the basis of one’s belief.

Sutra 1) now an instruction in yoga begins.

The meaning of yoga is union. It represents a method by which an individual may become united with God. In Christianity this is called ‘mystical union’, where the soul becomes one with God.

Sutra 2) Yoga is experienced when fluctuations and changes of the mediator’s thought-waves are controlled.

In Sanskrit, yoga, chitta, vritti, nirodha

We have to understand what chitta is and what the vrittis are.

According to Patanjali, the mind (chitta) is made up of three components, manas (sense mind), buddhi (intellect or discriminative faculty), and ahamkara (ego) which claims these impressions for its own and stores them up as individual knowledge.

Vrittis are the thought waves in the chitta.

God the underlying Reality is omnipresent and must therefore be present in every sentient being and inanimate object.

God within is known in Sanskrit as the Atman or Purusha, the Self (soul). We will be referring to the Self.

The mind seems to be intelligent and conscious, yoga teaches that it is not. It has only a borrowed intelligence. The Self is intelligence itself; it is pure consciousness.

Knowledge or perception is a thought wave (vritti) in the mind. All from the outside perceived knowledge is therefore objective. Even what Western psychology calls introspection or self knowledge is according to Patanjali objective, since the mind is not the seer, but only an instrument of knowledge.

The Self (soul) is the real seer.

When Patanjali speaks of thought waves, he implies a process whereby we must unlearn our identification with the ego-sense. This process involves a complete transformation of character, a ‘renewal of the mind,’ as St. Paul put it.

3) Then the seer abides in his own nature (essence).

When the lake of the mind becomes clear and still, man knows himself as he really is, always was and always will be. He knows he is the Self. His personality, his mistaken belief in himself as a separate, unique individual disappears.

4) At other times, when he is not in the state of yoga, man remains identified with the thought-waves in the mind.

5) There are five kinds of thought-waves, some are painful, and others are pleasant.

A painful wave, according to Patanjali is not necessary a wave which seems painful at first. It is a wave which brings with it an increased degree of ignorance, addiction and bondage.

Similarly a wave which at first seems painful may not be painful, so long as it impels the mind toward greater freedom and knowledge.

For example, a lustful thought-wave can be described as painful even though it may provide instant gratification, because it can cause addiction, jealousy and bondage.

A wave of pity, on the other hand, could be described as not painful, because it is an unselfish emotion. We may suffer when we see others in pain, but our compassion may teach us the importance of caring.

This distinction between the two kinds of thought-waves is very important when we come to the actual practice of yoga discipline, for the thought-wave cannot be controlled at once. First we have to overcome the painful wave by raising waves that are not painful. Thoughts of anger, selfish desire and delusion, need to be replaced by thoughts of love, generosity and truth. Only later, when the painful thought-waves have been stilled, can we proceed with the second stage, the stilling of the not painful waves which we have created by replacing pain with love.

The idea that we should ultimately have to overcome even the thoughts which are good, pure and truthful, are at first shocking to students of Western thought. However, a little reflection will show us, that this must be so. The external world, even in its most beautiful appearance, is still transient. It is not the basic Reality. We must look through appearance and not at it to see the Self.

Certainly, it is better to love than to hate, better to share than to hoard, better to tell the truth than to lie. But the thoughts which motivate the practice of these virtues are nevertheless disturbances of the mind.

6) The five kinds of thought-waves are: right knowledge, wrong knowledge, verbal delusion, sleep and memory.

7) The right kind of knowledge are, direct perception, inference and scriptural testimony.

Whatever the senses perceive is right knowledge, provided there is no element of delusion.

Whatever we infer from our direct perceptions is also right knowledge, provided that our reasoning is correct.

Scriptures are based on intuitive or super-conscious knowledge obtained by great spiritual teachers while in a state of perfect yoga. Thus, they are also right knowledge, yet more real than sense perceptions as the truth they teach can be verified by anyone with super-conscious vision.

8) Wrong knowledge is knowledge which is false and not based on the true nature of its object.

Yoga gives the example of a piece of rope that is being mistaken for a snake. In this case wrong knowledge will cause one to fear the rope and avoid it, or try to kill it.

9) Verbal delusion arises when words do not correspond to reality.

A common form of verbal delusion is jumping to conclusions. We hear someone speaking and form hasty and inaccurate pictures of the meaning.

10) Sleep is a thought of nothingness.

Dreamless sleep is not an absence of thought but a positive experience of nothingness. It should not be confused with the wave-less state of yoga. If there were no consciousness in the mind during sleep, we would not wake up remembering that we perceived nothing.

11) Memory is when perceived objects are not forgotten, but come back to consciousness.

Dreaming is remembering in our sleep.

12) They are controlled by means of practice and non attachment.

13)  Practice is the repeated effort to follow the disciplines which give permanent control over the thought waves of the mind.

14) Practice becomes firmly grounded when it has been cultivated for a long time, uninterruptedly, with earnest devotion.

15) Non attachment is self-mastery; it is freedom from desire for what is seen or heard.

The waves of the mind can be made to flow in two opposite directions, either toward the objective world, the world to desire or toward the inner world of self knowledge, the will to liberation. In both situations practice and non attachment are necessary. Non attachment is the exercise of discrimination. Its objective is to gradually gain control over painful and impure thought waves by asking ourselves: ‘Where do these thought waves come from. If they are based on desire, we may ask, why do I really want this and in what way could it be of benefit? It is fairly easy to reason all this out in a calm manner.

 However, non attachment is put to test when the mind is suddenly swept away by a huge wave of anger, lust or greed. Then it is only by a determined effort that we can remember what our reason already knows, that this wave and the sense object which raised it, the ego sense which identifies the experience with itself, are all alike, transient and superficial. They are not the underlying Reality.

It needs to be kept in mind, that Self mastery is essential for one who aspires to Self or God realization.

16) When through knowledge of the Self, one ceases to desire any manifestation of nature, then that is the highest kind of non attachment.

We must not confuse non attachment with indifference. Human love is the highest feelings most of us know. It frees us to some extent from our egotism in our relation with one another. But human love is still exclusive and possessive. Love for the Self is neither.

We readily admit that it is better to love people for what they are, than for their looks, intelligence or some other qualities. But this is only a blurred and relative view. What people really are is the Self and to love it, is to love it in everyone. It is to go beyond any manifestation of nature to the Reality within.

This love is not restless or transient like human love. It is secure, eternal and calm. It is free from desire, because lover and beloved have become one.

17) Concentration upon a single object may reach four stages: examination, discrimination, joyful peace and simple awareness of individuality.

When we look at the nature of Reality from the Vedanta perspective, (Vedanta is the philosophy based on the Vedas), Reality is the innermost Self or Atman, as has already been mentioned.

When this Reality is discussed from a universal perspective, it is called Brahman (God beyond Creation); Christians speak of God being immanent and transcendent. This may imply a relationship of duality, but in fact, it is not.

Self or Atman and Brahman are one. God within and God transcendent is one.

What is the cosmos, what is its substance? According to Vedanta it is made of prakriti, the elemental undifferentiated stuff of cosmic mind and matter.

Prakriti (nature) is defined as the power or effect of Brahman. Prakriti could not exist apart from Brahman (God), the two are inseparable.

Patanjali on the other hand, views the nature of Reality as interplay between Purusha and Prakriti, (Spirit and Nature), thus implying two separate entities, yet both equally real and eternal. However, since Patanjali also believed that the individual Purusha (Self, soul) could be entirely liberated and isolated from Prakriti, he was in agreement with the teachings of Vedanta.

Why does Brahman (God) cause Prakriti (nature)?  Man made philosophy cannot possibly answer this question, for human intelligence is itself within Prakriti and cannot comprehend God beyond nature. Only a great seer may experience the Brahman-Prakriti relationship while in a state of perfect yoga. From an absolute viewpoint, Prakriti does not exist. It is not a Reality. It is only real to our senses.

It has been mentioned, that Prakriti is the undifferentiated stuff of mind and matter. So what is the difference between it and the highly differentiated phenomenal universe?

Yoga philosophy teaches us, that from time to time the universe dissolves, or apparently dissolves. It is said to go back into undifferentiated Prakriti and remain there in a potential seed state, or equilibrium, for a certain period.

This Prakriti is said to be composed of the three forces, known as sattva, rajas and tamas, collectively known as gunas. These gunas pass through phases of equilibrium and phases of imbalance. When the balance is disturbed, the creative process ensues and the gunas enter into a variety of combinations with one another, but one of them is generally predominant. Thus we experience different physical and psychic phenomena which make up our world (Science students may want to compare Vedanta cosmology with theories of atomic physics).

Describing the gunas individually, sattva represent that which is pure, ideal and tranquil, rajas expresses itself in action, motion and violence, and tamas represents solidity, immobility, resistance and inertia.

From what has already been said, it is the interaction of the gunas that is responsible for the creative process.

The first stage is called the mahat or cosmic ego. It may be compared to:

” The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters”.

                                                                                       Genesis 1:2

From mahat evolved buddhi (discriminating faculty),

From buddhi is evolved ahamkara, the individual ego sense,

From ahamkara, the lines of perception branch off into three directions to produce manas (sense mind), the recording faculty, the five powers of perception of sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch;

 The five organs of action, tongue, feet, hands, and the organs of evacuation and procreation;

The five tanmatras (subtle elements), which are the subtle inner senses of sound, taste, touch, form and odor;

These subtle tanmatras, combining and recombining, are then said to reproduce the five gross elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether of which the external universe is formed.

In summary, creation is here described as an evolution outward from undifferentiated into differentiated consciousness; from mind to matter. Pure consciousness gradually covered by successive layers of ignorance. Each layer being grosser and thicker than the one below it until the process ends as the outer physical surface of the visible and tangible world.

It is of value to keep the idea of evolution in mind if we are to understand Patanjali’s technique of meditation. For meditation is evolution in reverse. Beginning at the surface of life, the meditative mind goes inward, seeking always the cause behind the appearance and then the cause behind the cause, until the innermost Reality is reached.

The tanmatras form the Common Ground for the expression of the objective world. Another meaning of tan is mother, and mantra also means matter -- the mother of matter. The mother of this whole world is the tanmatras. The tanmatras are in the womb of the Cosmic Mother,

Now we need to consider Patanjali’s four stages of concentration upon an object. This kind of concentration is in contrast to higher kinds which will be described later.

First, the mind becomes perfectly concentrated on the gross object. This is followed by the stage of discrimination, when the mind pierces the outer layer and focused on the tanmatras, the subtle essence within. Next is the stage of joyful peace when concentrating on the mind itself. Lastly, there is the stage of individuality, the stage of simple awareness, the “I” am, other that this or that.

We need to remember, that Patanjali is strictly scientific in his approach. He does warn us, that through these powers of concentration one may develop occult powers and if he is drawn to them, he will likely miss the supreme goal of God realization.

18) The other kind of concentration is that in which the consciousness contains no object, only subconscious impressions, which are like burned seeds. It is attained by constantly checking the thought-waves through the practice of non attachment.

When the student has achieved the highest degree of concentration upon a single object, he is ready to concentrate on consciousness itself. (The student roots out all thoughts and becomes aware of consciousness only). This is the perfect yoga, in which one passes beyond Prakriti (matter), beyond all objective knowledge into the union with the Self, the undifferentiated universal consciousness. The state of perfect yoga can only be entered into, when the sought waves have been stilled and the mind has been cleared of all its samskaras (mental impressions). In this context Yogananda said:”Yogananda no longer exists. He knows that he is none other than the Self”.

Yoga teaches that it is the samskaras and unfulfilled subconscious desires that drive man from birth to birth. The desire to return and to plunge once more into sense experience is far deeper than we realize. It follows therefore, that when the samskaras have been rooted out, there will no longer be any urge toward rebirth. He who achieves yoga has attained liberation (moksha).

Sutra 19) When such concentration is not accompanied by non-attachment, and ignorance therefore remains, the aspirant will reach the state of the disincarnate gods or become merged in the forces of nature.

Concentration without non attachment cannot bring liberation. If the student wants liberation, his concentration needs to be without attachment to the current situation and the ensuing results of his concentration. Some aspirants are satisfied with power and pleasure resulting from concentration. Concentration upon any of the gross elements or sense organs is said to bring one to the condition of discarnate gods; concentration on the mind or the ego is said to make us one with the forces of nature.

Yoga tradition believes in many planes of existence other that the earthly one. To these planes one may go for a while after death, depending on the good or bad karma one accumulated on earth.

It should be noted, that gods in the yoga tradition are advanced souls, but not yet liberated. They are still involved in the realm of prakriti (matter).

Sutra 20) the concentration of the true aspirant is attained through faith, energy, absorption and illumination.

The word faith is often abused and taken as blind faith which accepts all kinds of dogma and creeds without question, repeating parrot like what has been taught. This type of faith is compounded by laziness, obstinacy, ignorance and fear. Because it is rigid, it can easily be shaken even destroyed.

True faith is flexible, un-dogmatic and open to doubt and reason. True faith grows like a seed, it experiences itself at every stage of development and becomes stronger with time and experience until it merges in illumination.

The aspirant also has to have and express energy in his spiritual endeavors. Every creative artist is aware of this. It often takes many hours of toil and enthusiasm for creative ideas to flow in.  Energy is like a muscle the more it is used, the stronger it grows.

Sutra 21) Success in yoga comes to those who are intensely energetic.

Sutra 23) Success varies according to the means adapted to attain it, mild medium or intense,

Theoretically there is no reason why we should not achieve a state of yoga within the space of a single second, since the soul is in us and our ignorance could be instantly dispelled. What impedes our progress can be attributed to past karma, our present fears and desires and the amount of effort or energy we employ. No one knows when awakening occurs. It could extent to months, years or lifetimes. All that is known is that no effort is wasted.

Sutra 23) Concentration may also be attained devotion to Ishvara (Supreme Ruler, God in creation).

Sutra 24) Ishvara is a special kind of Being, untouched by ignorance, not subject to karma or samskaras or the results of action.

Here for the first time Patanjali introduces the idea of God. Ishvara is the supreme ruler of the universe, its Creator, Sustainer and Dissolver. Brahman (God beyond creation) cannot be said to create, sustain and dissolve, since Brahman by definition is without attributes. Ishvara is Brahman seen within Prakriti (nature). He corresponds to God the Father in the Christian tradition.

Ishvara is God as he appears in prakriti (nature). But it must be remembered, that He is Prakriti (nature’s) ruler, not its servant. That is why Patanjali describes him as “a special kind of Being.” Man is the servant of Prakriti.

Man is subject to ignorance of his real Self when he is under the influence of egotism, attachment to sense objects and blindly clinging to his present way of life.

But man can be liberated during his lifetime. Liberation can also be reached without devotion to God through jnana yoga (the path of wisdom which involves withdrawing the mind from deluded perceptions and beholding Spirit, the undifferentiated Reality). This is however a difficult path for many practitioners, where as devotion to a personal ideal of God (such as love) is much easier and brings with it a natural inclination to humility and service.

Sutra 25) In Him, knowledge is Infinite; in others it is only a germ.

Sutra 26) He is the teacher even of the earliest teachers, since He is not limited by time.

These two verses deal with Ishvara's (God in creation) attributes of omniscience. If we admit to the existence of knowledge, no matter how limited in man, we must acknowledge from it the existence of infinite knowledge of God.

Patanjali also reasons, that the teacher of the first teacher can only have been God, since He alone, is timeless, and was present before teaching began.

Sutra 27) The Word which expresses Him is Om.

Sutra 28) The word must be repeated with meditation upon its meaning.

Sutra 29) Hence comes the knowledge of the Self and the destruction of the obstacles to that knowledge.

“In the beginning was the word,” states the Gospel of St. John, and “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This statement is similar to the teachings of Yoga. “In the beginning was Brahman, with whom was the Word; and the Word was truly the supreme Brahman.”

Words and ideas are inseparable; one cannot have the idea of God without the word which expresses God. But why are the ancient using the word Om? Yoga teaches that Om is the sound that contains all sounds. It is also the most ancient word for God. What really matters that one should appreciate the power of the word in ones spiritual life. This appreciation can only come through practice. By repeating the name of God with devotion, one can control moods despite the interference of the outside world.

Scriptures often remind us to take refuge in his name.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe”. Proverbs 18:10.

When the mind is severely disturbed by pain or fear or the necessities of some physical emergency that it cannot meditate or even think rationally, there, one can still repeat the name of God over and over. Once one has tested the power of the holy word, one will fully rely on it and receive comfort, as it will lead us to the God within.

Sutra 30) Sickness, laziness, doubt, lack of enthusiasm, craving for sense pleasure, false perception, despair caused by failure to concentrate, these distractions are obstacles to knowledge.

Sutra 31) These distractions are accompanied by grief, despondency, trembling of the body and irregular breathing.

Nearly all distractions listed by Patanjali come under the heading of tamas. Laziness is tamasic and a great enemy to personal and spiritual growth. However, its underlying cause can be ill health, or of psychological origin.

When one aspires to a spiritual life and practices the necessary disciplines, by right practice he can quickly experience a feeling of inner peace. However, there may come times of relapses; phases of struggle, dryness and doubt. This should not overly disturb the aspirant. Conscious feelings of peace and joy, no matter how exalted, are not the only indications of spiritual awakening. Often one’s progress is strongest, when the mind seems dark and dull, when is spiritually challenged. One need only read the experience of the prophets in the Old Testament.

Sutra 32) They can be removed by the practice of concentration on a single Truth.

This aphorism stresses the importance of single-mindedness with a calm mind.

Sutra 33) Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion toward the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicket.

Some people are envious when others are successful and happy. The correct response is to rejoice in the happiness of others.

If someone is unhappy we need to show compassion instead of criticism.

Often the virtue of others irritates us, because we see it as a reflection of our own shortcomings. We should instead see the virtue of others as an inspiration in our own life.

As for the wicked we need to remember Christ’s words:” Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” Romans 12:21. It is wise to practice indifference toward those who engage in evil acts, rather than to engage in anger and hostility

Sutra 34) The mind may also be calmed by expulsion and retention of breath.

The word used is prana. Prana means energy, the vital energy or life force we draw into ourselves from the surrounding universe. Whatever we see in the universe, whatever works or has life, is a manifestation of prana.

We need to remember, that prana is not the breath, but that which causes the motion of the breath, that which is the vitality of the breath.

We also have to realize that prana is force. Yet we cannot call it force, because force is only the manifestation of it.

The exhaling and retention of prana is called pranayama or life force control. We can calm the mind through deep breathing.

Sutra 35) The forms of concentration which result in extraordinary perceptions encourage perseverance of the mind.

Many people are skeptical of extraordinary perceptions and need to be assured that the power of mind over matter really exists. This is despite many well documented experiments under strictest laboratory conditions. Telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, psycho kinesis and others are well documented extra ordinary perceptions and can be learned by anyone. Another example is by concentrating on the tip of the nose, one can smell wonderful perfume. Such powers have little value in themselves, but prove the power of concentration. However, being too pre-occupied with psychic powers can be a hindrance to spiritual awakening, as it gets one’s ego involved. Concentration on the Self is the ultimate goal.

Sutra 36) Concentration may also be attained, by fixing the mind upon the inner light, which is beyond sorrow.

The ancient yogis believed that there was an actual center of spiritual consciousness called the ‘lotus of the heart’, located between the abdomen and the thorax, which could be revealed in deep meditation. They claimed, that it had the form of a lotus and that it shone with an inner light. It was said to be ‘beyond sorrow’, since who saw it was filled with an extraordinary sense of joy.

From the very earliest time, the masters of yoga emphasized the importance of meditating upon this lotus.

Sutra 37) Or by meditating on the heart of an illumined soul, that is free from passion.

Let the mind dwell on some holy personality like Jesus, then concentrate on his heart. Try to imagine how it must feel to be a great saint, pure and untouched by sense objects.

Sutra 38) Or by fixing the mind upon a dream experience, or the experience of deep sleep.

By dream experience, it is meant a dream upon a holy personality or a divine symbol.

Another method of calming the mind is to concentrate on the peaceful experience of deep, dreamless sleep.

Sutra 39) Or fixing the mind on a divine form or symbol that appears to one as good.

One of the most amazing characteristics is Patanjali's breath of vision, its universality. An ideal would be, to focus on the God within.

Sutra 40) the mind of the yogi can concentrate upon any object of any size, from the atomic to the infinite.

A yogi in the context is not merely one who meditates, but one who has already achieved the power of undivided one pointed concentration. This can only be achieved through self mastery.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 41 to: (part I)

Sutra 41) just as the pure crystal takes color from the object which is nearest to it, so the mind, when it is cleared of thought-waves, achieves sameness or identity with the object of concentration. This may be either a gross object or the organ of perception, or the sense of ego. This achievement of sameness or identity with the object of concentration is known as samadhi.

The various objects of concentration have already been discussed in Sutra 17. The state of yoga which Patanjali now calls by its technical name samadhi may be achieved in progressive stages. One may begin with external objects and penetrate toward the most inwardness of individuality.

As can be seen, there are various kinds of samadhi.., but no kind of samadhi is possible until the mind has acquired the power of concentration necessary to achieve sameness or identity with its object.

Sutra 42) When the mind achieved identity with a gross object of concentration, mixed with awareness of name, quality and knowledge, this is called savikalpa samadhi.

Sutra 43) When the mind achieves identity with the gross object of concentration, unmixed with awareness of name, quality and knowledge, so that the object alone remains, this is called nirvikalpa samadhi.

In savikalpa samadhi, through intense concentration we may become identified with an object of art, its size, the shape, the color, which represents a mixture of name, quality and knowledge in the mind.

In nirvikalpa samadhi one reaches a higher state of concentration unmixed with awareness of names, quality and knowledge. At this stage, one is able to still the thought-waves which are a reaction to the object, and knows nothing but the object itself as it truly is, “the thing in itself”, to use Emanuel Kant’s term. Kant maintained that “the thing in itself” cannot possibly known by the senses or the reasoning mind, since the senses and reason can only present us with their subjective reaction.

In Sahaja samadhi one remains calm and composed during activity. One realizes that he is moved by the deeper self within and is unaffected by what he does, says or thinks. One has no worries, anxieties or cares, for he realize that there is nothing that belongs to him as ego and that everything is being done by something with which he is in conscious union.

When we are confronted with objects of concentration that belong to subtle realm, we must still distinguish between the higher and lower kind of samadhi as outlined in sutras 42 and 43.

Sutra 45) Behind all subtle objects is Prakriti, the primal cause.

Prakriti is the elemental, undifferentiated stuff of matter; the energy by which all phenomena are projected.

As the meditative mind turns inward, it probes through the gross outer coverings of things to their subtle essence and beyond the subtle to Prakriti itself. It just is, not this, not that.

But Prakriti is not the Ultimate Reality. Behind Prakriti is Brahman, God beyond creation.

Sutra 46) These kind of samadhi are said to be with seeds.

Seeds of desire with attachment may still remain within the mind, even though perfect concentration has been achieved. These seeds of desire are dangerous. Non attachment in order to progress in the practice is vital.

Liberation is now very near.

Sutra 47) in reaching nirvikalpa samadhi the mind becomes pure.

Sutra 48) In that samadhi, knowledge is said to be filled with truth.

Sutra 49) the knowledge which is gained from inference and the study of scriptures is knowledge of one kind. But the knowledge which is gathered from samadhi is of a much higher order. It goes beyond inference and scriptures.

Patanjali describes two kinds of knowledge obtained by direct, super-conscious experience.

Ordinary knowledge comes to us by way of sense perception and the interpretation of these perceptions by our reason. Ordinary knowledge is therefore limited to ordinary objects, those that are in the grasp of sense perception.

When ordinary knowledge attempts to interpret that which is extra ordinary, its impotence is immediately revealed.

An example is, we have various scriptures and writings which tell us about the existence of God. We can read these books and accept the teachings, but we cannot claim to know God because we have read the books. All we can say is that these scriptures were written by men who claim to know God.

We can choose to accept what we read in scriptures by faith, or we can admit the possibility of another, higher super-conscious kind of knowledge capable of confirming the truth of these teachings through our direct experience. Such is the knowledge which is obtained through samadhi, a knowledge that everyone who practices super-conscious meditation can experience for himself.

Swami Vivekananda:” Realization is the real religion, all the rest is preparation in attending lectures, or in the reading of books and reasoning. Intellectual assent and intellectual dissent are not religion”.

True religion is a severely practical and empirical research where one assumes nothing and builds only personal experience, just the way an explorer goes about his task.

Patanjali with his Sutras urges us to attempt the exploration and offers valuable hints and warnings which may be of help on our journey. He tells us that in the state of nirvikalpa samadhi, the mind becomes pure and filled with truth. It is said to be filled with truth, because it now experiences direct super-conscious knowledge.

Sutra 50) the impression which is made upon the mind wipes out all other past impressions.

Patanjali will now tell us how to take the ultimate step into complete union with Brahman.

Sutra 51) When the impressions made by that is also wiped out, so that there are no more thought-waves at all in the mind, then one enters the samadhi which is called seedless.

Now even the wave that swallows up all samskaras or mental impressions is stilled and we enter nirvikalpa samadhi the seedless state, a state where nothing undifferentiated consciousness exists. It leaves nothing; the Self is manifested just as it is, in its own glory. Then alone do we know that the soul is an internal substance of the universe and as such cannot be born, nor can it die. It is immortal, indestructible, an ever living essence of intelligence.