[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
reason. So it is obvious that reasoning has to run within these bounds of
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Raja Yoga
perception. It can never go beyond. The whole scope of realisation,
therefore, is beyond sense - perception. The Yogis say that man can go
beyond his direct sense - perception, and beyond his reason also. Man has in
him the faculty, the power, of transcending his intellect even, a power which
is in every being, every creature. by the practice of Yoga that power is
aroused, and then man transcends the ordinary limits of reason, and directly
perceives things which are beyond all reason.
50. The resulting impression from this Samadhi obstructs all other
impressions.
We have seen in the foregoing aphorism that the only way of attaining to
that superconsciousness is by concentration, and we have also seen that what
hinders the mind from concentration are the past Samskaras, impressions.
All of you have observed that, when you are trying to concentrate your
mind, your thoughts wander. When you are trying to think of God, that is the
very time these Samskaras appear. At other times they are not so active; but
when you want them not, they are sure to be there, trying their best to crowd
in your mind. Why should that be so? Why should they be much more
potent at the time of concentration? It is because you are repressing them,
and they react with all their force. At other times they do not react. How
countless these old past impressions must be, all lodged somewhere in the
Chitta, ready, waiting like tigers, to jump up! These have to be suppressed
that the one idea which we want may arise, to the exclusion of the others.
Instead they are all struggling to come up at the same time. These are the
various powers of the Samskaras in hindering concentration of the mind. So
this Samadhi which has just been given is the best to be practised, on
account of its power of suppressing the Samskaras. The Samskara which
will be raised by this sort of concentration will be so powerful that it will
hinder the action of the others, and hold them in check.
51. By the restraint of even this (impression, which obstructs all other
impressions), all being restrained, comes the "seedless" Samadhi.
You remember that our goal is to perceive the Soul itself. We cannot
perceive the Soul, because it has got mingled up with nature, with the mind,
with the body. The ignorant man thinks his body is the Soul. The learned
96
Raja Yoga
man thinks his mind is the Soul. But both of them are mistaken. What makes
the Soul get mingled up with all this? Different waves in the Chitta rise and
cover the Soul; we only see a little reflection of the Soul through these
waves; so, if the wave is one of anger, we see the Soul as angry; "I am
angry," one says. If it is one of love, we see ourselves reflected in that wave,
and say we are loving. If that wave is one of weakness, and the Soul is
reflected in it, we think we are weak. These various ideas come from these
impressions, these Samskaras covering the Soul. The real nature of the Soul
is not perceived as long as there is one single wave in the lake of the Chitta;
this real nature will never be perceived until all the waves have subsided. So,
first, Patanjali teaches us the meaning of these waves; secondly, the best way
to repress them; and thirdly, how to make one wave so strong as to suppress
all other waves, fire eating fire as it were. When only one remains, it will be
easy to suppress that also, and when that is gone, this Samadhi or
concentration is called seedless. It leaves nothing, and the Soul is manifested
just as It is, in Its own glory. Then alone we know that the Soul is not a
compound; It is the only eternal simple in the universe, and as such, It
cannot be born, It cannot die; It is immortal, indestructible, the ever - living
essence of intelligence.
References
1. The mind, or common sensorium, the aggregate of all the senses.
97
Raja Yoga
Concentration: Its Practice
1. Mortification, study, and surrendering fruits of work to God are
called Kriya-Yoga.
Those Samadhis with which we ended our last chapter are very difficult to
attain; so we must take them up slowly. The first step, the preliminary step,
is called Kriya-Yoga. Literally this means work, working towards Yoga. The
organs are the horses, the mind is the rein, the intellect is the charioteer, the
soul is the rider, and the body is the chariot. The master of the household,
the King, the Self of man, is sitting in this chariot. If the horses are very
strong and do not obey the rein, if the charioteer, the intellect, does not know
how to control the horses, then the chariot will come to grief. But if the
organs, the horses, are well controlled, and if the rein, the mind, is well held
in the hands of the charioteer, the intellect, the chariot reaches the goal.
What is meant, therefore, by this mortification? Holding the rein firmly
while guiding the body and the organs; not letting them do anything they
like, but keeping them both under proper control. Study. What is meant by
study in this case? No study of novels or story books, but study of those
works which teach the liberation of the Soul. Then again this study does not
mean controversial studies at all. The Yogi is supposed to have finished his
period of controversy. He has had enough of that, and has become satisfied.
He only studies to intensify his convictions. Vada and Siddhanta -- these are
the two sorts of scriptural knowledge -- vada (the argumentative) and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl ocenkijessi.opx.pl
reason. So it is obvious that reasoning has to run within these bounds of
95
Raja Yoga
perception. It can never go beyond. The whole scope of realisation,
therefore, is beyond sense - perception. The Yogis say that man can go
beyond his direct sense - perception, and beyond his reason also. Man has in
him the faculty, the power, of transcending his intellect even, a power which
is in every being, every creature. by the practice of Yoga that power is
aroused, and then man transcends the ordinary limits of reason, and directly
perceives things which are beyond all reason.
50. The resulting impression from this Samadhi obstructs all other
impressions.
We have seen in the foregoing aphorism that the only way of attaining to
that superconsciousness is by concentration, and we have also seen that what
hinders the mind from concentration are the past Samskaras, impressions.
All of you have observed that, when you are trying to concentrate your
mind, your thoughts wander. When you are trying to think of God, that is the
very time these Samskaras appear. At other times they are not so active; but
when you want them not, they are sure to be there, trying their best to crowd
in your mind. Why should that be so? Why should they be much more
potent at the time of concentration? It is because you are repressing them,
and they react with all their force. At other times they do not react. How
countless these old past impressions must be, all lodged somewhere in the
Chitta, ready, waiting like tigers, to jump up! These have to be suppressed
that the one idea which we want may arise, to the exclusion of the others.
Instead they are all struggling to come up at the same time. These are the
various powers of the Samskaras in hindering concentration of the mind. So
this Samadhi which has just been given is the best to be practised, on
account of its power of suppressing the Samskaras. The Samskara which
will be raised by this sort of concentration will be so powerful that it will
hinder the action of the others, and hold them in check.
51. By the restraint of even this (impression, which obstructs all other
impressions), all being restrained, comes the "seedless" Samadhi.
You remember that our goal is to perceive the Soul itself. We cannot
perceive the Soul, because it has got mingled up with nature, with the mind,
with the body. The ignorant man thinks his body is the Soul. The learned
96
Raja Yoga
man thinks his mind is the Soul. But both of them are mistaken. What makes
the Soul get mingled up with all this? Different waves in the Chitta rise and
cover the Soul; we only see a little reflection of the Soul through these
waves; so, if the wave is one of anger, we see the Soul as angry; "I am
angry," one says. If it is one of love, we see ourselves reflected in that wave,
and say we are loving. If that wave is one of weakness, and the Soul is
reflected in it, we think we are weak. These various ideas come from these
impressions, these Samskaras covering the Soul. The real nature of the Soul
is not perceived as long as there is one single wave in the lake of the Chitta;
this real nature will never be perceived until all the waves have subsided. So,
first, Patanjali teaches us the meaning of these waves; secondly, the best way
to repress them; and thirdly, how to make one wave so strong as to suppress
all other waves, fire eating fire as it were. When only one remains, it will be
easy to suppress that also, and when that is gone, this Samadhi or
concentration is called seedless. It leaves nothing, and the Soul is manifested
just as It is, in Its own glory. Then alone we know that the Soul is not a
compound; It is the only eternal simple in the universe, and as such, It
cannot be born, It cannot die; It is immortal, indestructible, the ever - living
essence of intelligence.
References
1. The mind, or common sensorium, the aggregate of all the senses.
97
Raja Yoga
Concentration: Its Practice
1. Mortification, study, and surrendering fruits of work to God are
called Kriya-Yoga.
Those Samadhis with which we ended our last chapter are very difficult to
attain; so we must take them up slowly. The first step, the preliminary step,
is called Kriya-Yoga. Literally this means work, working towards Yoga. The
organs are the horses, the mind is the rein, the intellect is the charioteer, the
soul is the rider, and the body is the chariot. The master of the household,
the King, the Self of man, is sitting in this chariot. If the horses are very
strong and do not obey the rein, if the charioteer, the intellect, does not know
how to control the horses, then the chariot will come to grief. But if the
organs, the horses, are well controlled, and if the rein, the mind, is well held
in the hands of the charioteer, the intellect, the chariot reaches the goal.
What is meant, therefore, by this mortification? Holding the rein firmly
while guiding the body and the organs; not letting them do anything they
like, but keeping them both under proper control. Study. What is meant by
study in this case? No study of novels or story books, but study of those
works which teach the liberation of the Soul. Then again this study does not
mean controversial studies at all. The Yogi is supposed to have finished his
period of controversy. He has had enough of that, and has become satisfied.
He only studies to intensify his convictions. Vada and Siddhanta -- these are
the two sorts of scriptural knowledge -- vada (the argumentative) and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]