yogaEQ

“Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.” ― Mahatma Gandhi.

Intensity of practice and renunciation transforms the uncultured, scattered consciousness, citta, into a cultured consciousness, able to focus on the four states of awareness. The seeker develops philosophical curiosity, begins to analyse with sensitivity, and learns to grasp the ideas and purposes of material objects in the right perspective (vitarka). Then he meditates on them to know and understand fully the subtle aspects of matter (viciira) Thereafter he moves on to experience spiritual elation or the pure bliss (iinanda) of meditation, and finally sights the Self. These four types of awareness are collectively termed samprajfziita samadhi or samprajfziita samapatti. Samiipatti is thought transformation or contemplation, the act of coming face to face with oneselfFrom these four states of awareness, the seeker moves to a new state, an alert but passive state of quietness known as manolaya. Patafijali cautions the siidhaka not to be caught in this state, which is a crossroads on the spiritual path, but to intensify his siidhana to experience a still higher state known as nirblja samiidhi or dharma megha samiidhi. The siidhaka may not know which road to follow beyond manolaya, and could be stuck there forever, in a spiritual desert. In this quiet state of void, the hidden tendencies remain inactive but latent. They surface and become active the moment the alert passive state disappears. This state should therefore not be mistaken for the highest goal in yoga.![