This is the seventh in a series of posts intended to shed light on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the authoritative text on classical Indian yoga, or meditation.

So far Patanjali has told us:

• the definition and goal of yoga (enlightenment);
• the key to success;
• how to monitor progress;
• the type of effort it takes; and
• about an alternative route.

Now he lists obstacles and symptoms we may face in our pursuit of enlightenment and how to overcome them.

Chapter 1, aphorisms 30- 32, loosely:

1.30  there are nine distractions which can become obstacles to attaining enlightenment: illness, dullness, doubt, negligence, laziness, cravings, misperceptions, failure and instability

1.31  symptoms of obstacles include distress, despair, trembling and uneven breath

1.32  concentrating your mind can remove the obstacles

In short, distractions become obstacles when our focus shifts to whatever distracted us – so the trick is not to become distracted!

It’s sort of like saying, “stop eating if you want to lose weight”, or telling an alcoholic all they have to do is stop drinking. A LOT easier said than done – though the point is valid.

For info about private lessons or workshops in self-discovery and peace of mind see the ‘Contact Us’ page of this site.

God bless, Skip

#patanjali   #consciousness   #meditation

This is the sixth in a series of posts intended to shed light on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the authoritative text on classical Indian yoga, or meditation.

Sankhya and Yoga are two of the six schools of classical Hindu philosophy. Sankhya points out that Consciousness is unlike anything else known to man; it’s literally intangible; it’s not subject to the laws of nature; it’s not constrained by time and space; and it can’t be explained [that was true 3,000 years ago and is still true today]. If Sankhya is the postulate that Consciousness is essentially Divine, Yoga is the proof. Yoga is a path to discovering the fundamentally Divine nature of our own essence.

So far in his blueprint for lasting peace, Patanjali tells us:

• realizing the nature of our own awareness or Consciousness (i.e., enlightenment) typically involves an inward journey beyond our thoughts;
• that we’ll encounter five types of thought along the way;
• that the primary path to enlightenment (meditation) is often long and fraught with distraction, thus the key to success is never giving up while always letting go;
• how to recognize whether we’re making progress; specifically, that we’ll encounter five distinct states of meditation;
• that attaining enlightenment typically requires steadfast and prolonged conviction, determination and effort.

Now he tells us that there’s a shortcut: devotion.

Chapter 1, aphorisms 23-29:

1.23 “ishvara pranidhana va”; loosely, “alternatively, enlightenment can be attained through devout service to God”

From Swamij.com, “[T]he word Īśvara is used to denote a state of collective consciousness. Thus, God is not a being that sits on a high pedestal beyond the sun, moon, and stars; [herein] God is actually the state of Ultimate Reality. But due to the lack of direct experience, God has been personified and given various names and forms by religions throughout the ages.”

1.24 “klesha karma vipaka ashayaih aparamristah purusha-vishesha ishvara”; loosely, “God or Consciousness is unaffected by karma and thus suffering”

1.25 “tatra niratishayam sarvajna bijam”; loosely, “God is all-knowing”

1.26 “purvesham api guruh kalena anavachchhedat”; loosely, “God is unaffected by time and space”

1.27 “tasya vachakah pranavah”; loosely, “the sound “AUM” [or “Amen”] may be used to represent God”

1.28 “tat japah tat artha bhavanam”; loosely, “it helps to reflect upon the meaning of AUM [or “Amen”] while repeating it”

1.29 “tatah pratyak chetana adhigamah api antaraya abhavash cha”; loosely, “devotion to God removes the obstacles to enlightenment”

The end goal of classical Indian yoga or meditation is to realize the literally intangible, essentially divine nature of our own and collective Consciousness. Here Patanjali says it may be easier and quicker – and you’ll get to the same place physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually – if instead you cut straight to the chase and devote your life to “God” (i.e., in service to others in the name of the Divine). In reality, I suspect anyone who realizes the existence of God (either via meditation or devotion) likely spends the rest of their life in service!

For info about private lessons or workshops in self-discovery and peace of mind see the ‘Contact Us’ page of this site.

God bless, Skip

#patanjali   #consciousness   #meditation

This is the fifth in a series of posts intended to shed light on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the original authoritative text on classical Indian yoga, or meditation.

Chapter 1 of Patanjali’s outline consists of 51 lines. So far we’ve looked at sutras 1-18:

1-4         Yoga is transcending thoughts to experience Consciousness;

5-11      There are five types of thought to transcend: correct, incorrect, imagined, neutral and remembered;

12-16    The key to success is never giving up & always letting go;

17-18    There are five levels of meditation; the first four involve focusing on something; in the fifth, we effectively merge with our own Consciousness

In the next four aphorisms, Patanjali identifies what’s required to achieve the fifth stage of meditation or enlightenment, and how long it might take:

Chapter 1, aphorisms 19-22:

1.19 “bhava pratyayah videha prakriti layanam”; loosely, “some people are predestined or predisposed to experience enlightenment”

1.20 “shraddha virya smriti samadhi prajna purvakah itaresham”; loosely, “for others enlightenment requires faith, vigor, mindfulness, meditation and wisdom”

1.21 “tivra samvega asannah”; loosely, “success comes readily to those with conviction”

1.22 “mridu madhya adhimatra tatah api visheshah”; loosely, “though the time it takes is affected by the degree of effort one puts into it”

Since most of us weren’t born predisposed to experience enlightenment, we pursue the inter-connected, five-fold path of:

• Faith – cultivating a sense of certainty that this pursuit is the right thing to do;
• Vigor – fostering the conviction and energy that we can succeed;
• Mindfulness – maintaining awareness of whether we’re acting in accordance with our goal;
• Meditation – seeking the objective, subjective and intuitive knowledge that comes from meditating;
• Wisdom – acting upon the correct knowledge that comes from meditating

For info about private lessons or workshops in self-discovery and peace of mind see the ‘Contact Us’ page of this site.

God bless, Skip

#patanjali   #consciousness   #meditation

Curious about the mental and spiritual aspects of classical Indian yoga? This is the fourth in a series of posts introducing Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – the original, authoritative Indian yoga text.

Patanjali begins his Sanskrit outline with a description of yoga: the transcendence of thoughts into Consciousness (i.e., “enlightenment”), followed by a description of the various types of thought we need to go beyond, and the key to success: never giving up & always letting go.

In the next two aphorisms Patanjali introduces the five progressive stages of meditation, the primary means to become enlightened.

Chapter 1, aphorisms 17 – 18:

1.17 “ vitarka vichara ananda asmita rupa anugamat samprajnatah“; loosely, “there are four levels of meditation “with seed”: attention, concentration, contemplation and absorption”

1.18 “virama pratyaya abhyasa purvah samskara shesha anyah“; loosely, “with sufficient practice we experience meditation without seed”

As we progress through the four deepening levels of focusing on an object, our understanding of the object expands. Awareness of observable characteristics gives way to intuitive insights about the object. In the fourth, deepest level of focusing on an object, we become fully immersed or absorbed in it, literally unaware of the distinction between ourselves, the object and our observation of it.

From Bernard Bouanchaud’s “The Essence of Yoga”, “In the successive states of union with an object, consciousness does not change. The mind of the person becomes more and more transparent, until consciousness reflects the object of contemplation with purity.”

From Swamij.com, “[T]he meditator systematically moves inward, through four levels or stages of concentration on an object, and then progresses to the stage of objectless concentration” – sort of like with and without training wheels as we learn to ride a bicycle.

When we meditate beyond thought (i.e., “without seed”), our consciousness – i.e., our awareness, which is always “on”, which never changes – is aware only of itself; this is the point of self-realization or enlightenment, a moment of great peace, clarity and compassion.

The four progressively intuitive levels of meditation “with seed” coincide with the four progressively subtle aspects of our mind. For example, assume that we’re focusing on a candle, a metaphor for Consciousness. The stages of meditation might be described as follows:

1. Our conscious mind – the aspect we “hear” – analyzes, discriminates, and judges; this is the aspect of our mind associated with the initial stage of meditation (attention); at this point we’re making an initial cognitive evaluation of the object of our contemplation. Focusing on the candle, I may think to myself, “it’s a candle; it generates heat and light”.

2. Drawing further inward, the outermost aspect of our sub-conscious mind processes our senses and movement; this aspect of our mind is associated with the second level of meditation (concentration); at this point we’re effectively making a sensory evaluation of the candle. I may think about its size, shape, smell, whether it makes sound as it burns, its texture and weight.

3. The middle aspect of our sub-conscious mind stores our memories and emotions and is associated with the third stage of meditation (contemplation); at this point we’re making a more subjective, initially intuitive evaluation of the candle. If I’ve had past experiences with candles those memories may trigger insights or intuition about the function or nature of candles (e.g., I may “see” aspects of the metaphor for Consciousness).

4. The innermost, subtlest aspect of our mind is our sense of “I am”, the innate, deeply rooted perspective from which we witness life and recognize that we are a unique being. This aspect of our mind is associated with the final, deepest level of meditation “with seed” (absorption); at this point, we lose the distinction between ourselves, the candle and the fact that we’re focusing on it – in effect, we lose our sense of individuality and “become one with” the object of our focus. Thoughts are no longer objective or subjective; rather, they’re entirely intuitive. I may identify with the candle to such an extent that I realize things about it that no amount of cognition or prior experience could tell me about its essential nature.

5. Thereafter, continuing to meditate, having exhausted or emptied our mind of all candle-related considerations, we meditate without specific focus, “without seed”, beyond thoughts. Having no thoughts or emotions to be aware of, our Consciousness becomes aware of itself – at which point we experience a state of bliss: a state without judgment or worry; a state of peaceful stillness, quiet acceptance and belonging.

For info about private lessons or workshops in self-discovery and peace of mind see the ‘Contact Us’ page of this site.

God bless, Skip

#patanjali   #consciousness   #meditation

This is the third in a series of posts intended to introduce Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras to those interested in the spiritual and mental aspects of classical Indian yoga. This series focuses on the first 100 lines (aka aphorisms or sutras) of Patanjali’s epic 3,000-year-old Sanskrit “poem”.

Having described yoga as the transcendence of thought into consciousness, and described the nature of the thoughts we’re trying to go beyond, Patanjali now implicitly acknowledges that the process takes a while and isn’t easy, by sharing the two-fold key to success: never give up & always let go.

Chapter 1, aphorisms 12-16:

1.12 “abhyasa vairagyabhyam tat nirodhah”; loosely, “practice and non-attachment lead to success”

1.13 “tatra sthitau yatnah abhyasa”; loosely, “practice means never giving up”

1.14 “sah tu dirgha kala nairantaira satkara asevitah dridha bhumih”; loosely, “by practicing continuously and earnestly over a long time efforts become habitual”

1.15 “drista anushravika vishaya vitrishnasya vashikara sanjna vairagyam”; loosely, “non-attachment means always letting go (mastering desire)”

1.16 “tat param purusha khyateh guna vaitrshnyam”; loosely, “with ultimate self-awareness all attachments fall away”

From Swamij.com:

“[T]here are two directions that one can go in life…One direction is towards truth, reality, Self, or spiritual realization. The other direction is opposite….

Abhyasa [Practice or “never give up”] means cultivating the lifestyle, actions, speech, and thoughts, as well as the spiritual practices that lead in the positive direction…

Vairagya [Non-attachment or “always let go”] is the practice of gradually letting go of the mental colorings that lead one away from the spiritual…

Love is what is left when you let go of all the things you love.”

For info about workshops in self-discovery and peace of mind see the ‘Contact Us’ page of this site.

God bless, Skip

#patanjali   #consciousness   #meditation

This is the second in a series of posts intended to shed light on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, one of two authoritative texts on the ancient Indian practice of yoga or meditation [the other being the Bhagavad Gita].

For context, the first few aphorisms or sutras described yoga as the process of transcending our thoughts to experience Consciousness.

These next several sutras describe the types of thoughts we’re trying to transcend, in part so we can discriminate between them and cultivate those conducive to clarity and peace of mind.

Chapter 1, aphorisms 5-11:

1.5 “vrittayah pancatayah klishta aklishta”; loosely, “there are five types of thought; they may be influenced by conditions that further obscure Consciousness”

1.6  “pramana viparyaya vikalpa nidra smritayah”; loosely, “[the five types of thought are] correct, incorrect, imagined, neutral and remembered”

1.7  “pratyaksha anumana agamah pramanani”; loosely, “correct thoughts are verifiable by observation, inference and authentication”

1.8  “viparyayah mithya jnanam atad rupa pratistham”; loosely, “incorrect thoughts are caused by misperception”

1.9  “shabda jnana anupati vastu shunyah vikalpah”; loosely, “imagined thoughts have no basis in reality”

1.10 “abhava pratyaya alambana vritti nidra”; loosely, “neutral thoughts are non-cognitive observations”

1.11 “anubhuta vishaya asampramoshah smritih”; loosely, “remembered thoughts are impressions that remain of the other four”

From Swamij.com, “By learning to observe the thinking process, and then to discriminate between these five types of mental objects, we start to gain a mastery over them and their ability to control our actions, speech, and thoughts…Of the five kinds of thought patterns, pramana, or correct knowledge is the one to cultivate.”

For info about workshops in self-discovery and peace of mind see the ‘Contact Us’ page of this site.

God bless, Skip

#patanjali   #consciousness   #meditation

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is a 3,000 year old, 200-line “poem” which outlines the science and practice of meditation: a path to self-discovery, peace of mind, and ultimately enlightenment.

Patanjali memorialized the classical Indian discipline of yoga or meditation as it had been passed from teacher to student for hundreds of years before the advent of written language. Due to limitations inherent in the form of the text and translations, students are advised to study multiple interpretations and explanations of Patanjali’s work to arrive at their own understanding of this ancient treasure map.

For those who may be curious about the “mental” and “spiritual” aspects of classical Indian yoga, we’ll revisit the first two chapters of Patanjali’s outline, one section at a time – beginning with the introductory lines of Chapter 1, which address the question, “What is Yoga?”

Keep in mind that classical Indian yoga is a path of self-discovery: an effort to realize our true nature: the essence of who we are which lies deep within us: our immutable consciousness.

Chapter 1, aphorisms 1-4 – in short, “What is Yoga?”:

1.1 “atha yoga anushasanam”; loosely, “now we’re going to discuss yoga”

1.2 “yogash chitta vritti nirodhah”; loosely, “yoga is transcending our thoughts”

1.3 “tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam”; loosely, “to realize our essence”

1.4 “vritti sarupyam itaratra”; loosely, “otherwise, we identify with our thoughts”

As summed up by Swamij.com: “When activity of all levels of mind have been transcended (1.2), we experience pure consciousness (1.3). However, the rest of the time, mind flows towards the many sensory experiences we have, as well as towards the streams of memories and fantasies (1.4).”

For info about workshops in self-discovery and peace of mind see the ‘Contact Us’ page of this site.

God bless, Skip

#patanjali   #consciousness   #meditation